Clare ran Cork absolutely ragged that day.
In the last 15 or so minutes iirc
Funny enough the 1st half was very average . The 2nd half was brilliant
The dam finally broke in the last 15. Clare utterly dominated the second half. The half backline and midfield utterly strangled the life out of Cork. Cork scored four points in the second half and on the balance of play and ball their forwards won it was probably a fair return. Clare hit a few poor wides in the 20 minutes after half time and Cunningham made a wonder save from Gilligan to keep it close on the scoreboard til Clare really opened up and expressed themselves as @Tassotti would say.
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Watching back games from the early mid 90s to the late 90s the game of hurling evolved a lot in a short time. Maybe it was the change in approach to physical training across the board which hastened it. Watching back a few of the Clare matches from their 93/94/95 run compared to 97 to 99 and the skill level across the board certainly improved in a very short space of time. In 95 you would see at least a dozen examples of each of lads topping balls, running over sliothers or miscontrolling simple enough balls in every game. There was noticeably less examples of this kind of poor technique later in the decade, improved fitness levels obviously brought about better concentration and helped eliminate this kind of stuff.
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I think the huge effect of 3rd level education has been a massive factor in this change .
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Nah, the young lads arriving on the scene in mid 90’s were far more skilful and weren’t interested in Hip & Whip play.
The elders of the time were mentally scarred by Christian Brothers bating them if they held onto possession at all.
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I think training went up a notch at that time also. Before that it was twice a week and usually comprised of a pucking across the field, a match and then some runs. Loughnane gave the impression that Clare were training like savages 7 nights a week. The role of skill based drills really took hold at the end of the 90s…Also teams trained a lot more and lads were doing stuff on their own.
You are right though. The game changed hugely over that 4/5 year period.
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A game I had been wanting to watch back for quite some time. Delighted to see it get uploaded.
A great contest which ebbed and flowed, both sides going hammers and thongs but not aside from a couple of slightly late shoulders/bodychecks aside there wasn’t a dirty stroke in it.
Despite the bones of 20 wides being hit in the first half there were some excellent scores taken. Three in a row from Clare around the 19th to 21st minute to push them out to a 10-2 lead were all lovely wristy scores and then a lovely 5 minute salvo from Leahy and Ryan hitting two points each despite being under savage pressure as Tipp hit 4 in a row to come back into it.
Colin Lynch had an excellent first 25 minutes before Leahy was switched off him and Tommy Dunne went to midfield, two of them had a fine battle after that. The switch worked well for Gaynor as neither man was in the game and both of them had much more of an impact after being switched.
Clare’s half forward line had too much legs for Tipp’s half backline and got multiple scoring chances by running at them and just popping the ball off to a runner. In fairness to Raymie Ryan and Gleeson they stuck with it and played well all the same, Gleeson harshly subbed after 55 minutes when there were three other backs and four lads up the field who should have been subbed before him while Paul Shelley was the pick of the full backline and saw off Barry Murphy and Stephen McNamara
First half was a real tale of two different full back/full forward battles - Cleary won the first ball in between himself and Lohan then Lohan proceeded to win the next ten or so attacking the ball at pace and driving out lifting the Clare crowd. Gaynor was doing his nut with Cleary who kept drifting out towards the 40 to try and get away from Lohan. While about six balls went in into Sparrow in the first half and he stroked over 3 points and nearly set up a goal for Barry Murphy.
Tipp hit five quick fire points just after half time and were level 42 minutes. Tipp had some lovely hurler but were carrying too many. Sheehy and Bonner had little impact at 3 and 6 while Aidan Butler struggled on Baker all day, Tucker hit two lovely quick points after half time but was out of the game for long periods and the full forward line made little impact.
Michael Ryan never seemed to be within 5 yards of David Forde. The few occasions I have seen Michael Ryan hurl in old games he always looked like a fella who completely seemed to just manage to muddle through in games, always looked laboured in his running and panicky on the ball. He had a terrible spell in the middle of the second half which ultimately cost Tipp the game, nowhere near Forde for his first point, took Colin Lynch out with a lazy tackle after he layed off a ball and then tried to bury Sparrow with another lazy tackle attempt but was too slow/late in making and Sparrow popped the ball off to Forde who buried it to the net. He could easily have seen two yellows for the two poor tackles. Forde then caught a high ball he had no real right to win off Ryan and was fouled. That 6 or 7 minute spell and headlessness from Ryan was the difference in the end.
It was 43 minutes into this game before a lad topped a ball under no pressure too by my count and 45 minutes before a lad failed to jab rise a ball while running onto it under little pressure. You would be in double figures for examples of these in games a few years previous.
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I’ll never forget the roar and raising of Clare flags as David Forde got his goal. My abiding memory of that era. We had seats right on the sideline near the blackrock end in the uncovered stand.
It was a blazing hot day. My uncle brought 9 of us to the game in an 88 Nissan micra. 3 of us sitting in the boot. I was the oldest at 14. Some squeeze and smell. We used always try and get into without everyone having a ticket. I’d go to a busy stile with one of the younger cousins about 7/8. When we’d get to the turnstile the operator would look for two tickets but we’d only have the one. The cousin would start the waterworks when the man in the stile would object. We’d usually have someone in the queue behind roaring to hurry up or let us in. It was a great plan that worked for 5 years at grounds around the country for all ticket games. The only place that cottened us was the Gaelic ground covered stand one day.
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As young lads we’d stroll down to the Pairc and just ask any lad ‘can I go in with you’?
I don’t think anybody ever refused
14 steps forde took was it?
Philip O Dwyer whatever became of him?
By a quirk of fate that was the first Munster Final I’ve ever attended. I was only 9 though. I hated both Clare and Tipp so I didn’t get too wound up either way.
Meh, Flanagan was better.
Flanagan was harshly treated that year. Much better than O’Dwyer and should have started in Munster.
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Ireland vs Romania 1990. Sheedy blasts the first spotter home
“There are many and varied ways to take penalty kicks” - George Hamilton
Ray Houghton tucks away the second
Andy Townsend up. Lovely placed pelanty to the keeper’s right
Bonner blesses himself but the Romanian from Bucharest scores their 4th