Éire Óg (Clare) 2-08 Adare (Limerick) 0-09
It had to take Éire Óg's defence to inspire their attack for the Clare champions to finally clamber over the stubborn challenge of Adare in Cusack Park, Ennis.
Trailing by two points by half-time, half-backs Ikem Ugwueru and Ciaran Russell raided for third quarter goals to complete a second point second half turnaround.
A sleepy first half from the home side was punished by a momentum-led Adare, fresh from winning back their Limerick title after a four year gap seven days previously.
Inevitably fronted by the vastly experienced Bourke brothers Hugh (3) and Robbie, Adare were so dominant that they arguably should have been further ahead than the 0-04 to 0-02 interval scoreline.
However, with time to regroup and re-arm, the Ennis side, without county senior Ronan Lanigan and county final man-of-the-match Colm Walsh O’Loghlen, were a far more combative prospect on the restart.
It had to take centre-back Uqwueru’s weaving 36th minute run from 40 metres to unlock the Adare defence though as his powerful right corner finish catapulted Éire Óg into the ascendancy for the very first time at 1-03 to 0-05.
Adare and more pointedly the Bourkes resisted on three occasions to reel in Darren O’Neill’s best efforts by the turn of the final quarter, only to be sucker-punched by a second Ugwueru surge this time offloading across the square to the waiting Ciaran Russell to flick to the net at 2-05 to 0-08.
Accentuated by points from play through Gavin Cooney, Gavin Murray and Mark McInerney, Éire Óg exploited Adare’s incremental fatigue as they cemented a Munster Senior Club Football Championship semi-final showdown against Tipperary double champions Loughmore-Castleiney back in Ennis in a fortnight’s time.
Éire Óg: Shane Daniels; Manus Doherty, Aaron Fitzgerald, Dean Ryan; Ciaran Russell (1-00), Ikem Ugwueru (1-00), Jarlath Collins; Darren O’Neill (0-02), David McNamara; Gavin Murray (0-01), Darren O’Brien, Oran Cahill; Mark McInerney (0-03, 0-01f, 0-01m), Gavin Cooney (0-02), Philip Talty
Subs: Peadar O’Keeffe for Daniels (38, inj), Luke Pyne for McNamara (44), Niall McMahon for O’Brien (54), Jack Joyce for Cooney (55-57, BS), Joyce for Talty (60), Eoin Guilfoyle for Cooney (63)
Adare: Jeffrey Alfred; Oran Collins, David Connolly (0-01), Eoghan Costelloe; Darragh Lane, Shane Doherty, Ronan Connolly; Joe Sweeney, Roy Gleeson; Paul Maher, Shane Costelloe, Davy Lyons; Shane O’Connor, Robbie Bourke (0-02), Hugh Bourke (0-06, 0-04f, 0-01m)
Subs: Jack Fitzgerald for Lane (41), Mikey Lyons for O’Connor (49), Mike Keane for Gleeson (49), Cian Sparling for D. Lyons (52), Michael Southgate for Sweeney (55)
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)
