Below is the match report from the Irish Examiner of Monday October 29 written by Kieran Shannon

MILTOWN-MALBAY 0-14 - 0-8 ENNISTYMON

It doesn’t have the reputation of being a dual county the way Cork or even Galway do but yesterday brought home just how intertwined both codes can be in Clare — even twinned, literally.

A week after the Ballyea hurlers lifted the Canon Hamilton with among their number Gary Brennan and three other members of Colm Collins’ senior county football panel – defeating a Cratloe team with 11 that had started in the county football semi-final only seven days earlier — the midfield area in Cusack Park yesterday in personnel terms resembled a Clare county senior hurling session.

Wearing number eight for final virgins Ennistymon was Cathal Malone who would also have contested the throw-in wearing a helmet in the past Munster senior hurling championship; although he plays his club hurling for Sixmilebridge, he’s a proud west Clare man.

Partnering him for the initial jump ball yesterday was David Fitzgerald, better known for his wing back play with the county hurlers but whose rampaging runs down the middle yesterday was a feature of Ennistymon’s frenetic if ultimately foiled second-half resistance.

Orbiting that area then for Miltown Malbay was their county hurling colleague, Conor Cleary. Though he had number 11 on his back, he was a wrecking ball yesterday between the two 45s.

Naturally an Ennistymon triumph yesterday would have provided the more romantic storyline – a club winning its first county title will always trump a club winning its second in four seasons and its 14th overall in those terms – but for Cleary and his family it was a particularly moving day.

Cleary had missed out on the club’s county final win in 2015, their first time in 25 years reacquainting Jack Daly with the old coastal town; earlier that summer he had broken his leg, hurling for Kilmaley.

“It’s hard to put into words,” he’d admit after the game. “To do it with your own people. That’s how we [he and Eoin] started, playing hurling and football out the front. In 2015 the first person I went to was Eoin. It was a special moment but to win one on the field with him now is very, very special.”

Being a county hurler, Conor is always going to command more of the spotlight – and scrutiny – than his twin brother, but it isn’t lost on Conor that Eoin may be the standout talent in the house. In a recent interview this writer had with Paul Rouse, the historian and interim Offaly manager revealed that after Clare finished his and Offaly’s summer in a second-round qualifier, he made a point of seeking the Miltown man out on the field.

“To me, Eoin Cleary is one of the most underestimated footballers in Ireland,” said Rouse. “An absolute smashing player.” Yesterday would only have reinforced Rouse’s claim and advanced the case that he’s now as much as the county’s franchise footballer as Gary Brennan or Jamie Malone.

In a county and a game where long-range points are at a premium, yesterday he kicked three sublime points from play and a supreme effort from a free.

Ennistymon had a pretty decent marksman of their own. Joe Dowling in the corner kicked three points from play, all within the first 18 minutes. But the problem was Ennistymon wouldn’t score again for another 28 minutes, in which time Miltown had kicked five scores. While only other starting player for Ennistymon would score – Joey Rouine in the opening minute – Miltown had five starting scores in all.

Cleary – Eoin, that is – acknowledged afterwards how fortunate Miltown had been to be on level terms after the opening 20 minutes and 0-6 to 0-4 up at half-time.

“They [Ennistymon] played all the football in the first half. They were two points down when they should have been two points up. They had a couple of goal chances so for us to have that breathing space at the break was massive. We didn’t have to worry about getting the first score of the second half, we had a bit of a cushion to relax on. We settled a bit, brought Darragh [McDonagh] out to midfield and he gave Conor a bit of a hand.”

Ultimately experience beat enthusiasm. In the opening half Ennistymon – who prior to this season had never even reached a county semi-final, let alone a final — had completely decoded the Miltown kickout but failed to make it pay on the scoreboard. In the second half Miltown goalkeeper Sean O’Brien was Cluxton-like with his distribution. Brian Curtin as the sweeper hoovered up everything.When Fitzgerald made a terrific late run down the centre, county centre-back Gordon Kelly pulled him back but crucially not down, thus ensuring a potential black card was only a yellow.

That they illustrated such guile will make this only sweeter. As Cleary – Eoin – would point out afterwards, “We were considered chokers by a lot of clubs around Clare after a couple of [consecutive] semi-final defeats. Thankfully we’ve put that right.”

Yesterday was the first time all summer anyone ended within six points of them. In the quarter-final and semi-final they beat 2017 finalists Clondegad and perennial contenders Cratloe by a combined 17 points. Maybe it wasn’t as emotional for the supporters as 2015, but for the players, this county title was probably even more satisfying.

ST JOSEPH’S:

S O’Brien; A McGuane, E O’Gorman, E O’Brien; C Hehir (0-1), G Kelly, J O’Connor; C Cleary, O Looney; K Keavey, E Cleary (0-5, two frees), K Malone 0-3; B Curtin, D McDonagh (0-2), C Murray (0-2).

Subs:

E Curtin (0-1) for Keavey (40 mins), E Reidy for O’Connor (51), Sean Malone for Murray (60), Seanie Malone for McGuane (63).

ENNISTYMON:

N Sexton; L Healy, S O’Driscoll, A Ralph; K Hehir, E Ralph, S Rouine; C Malone, D Fitzgerald; M Leigh, M McDonagh, W Murphy; J Dowling (0-5, two frees), S McConigley (0-1, free), J Rouine (0-1).

Subs:

A McNulty (0-1, free) for J Rouine (39), C Shannon for Leigh (45), R O’Doherty for McDonagh (55).

Referee:

J Hickey (Cratloe).