Photo: Doonbeg's Darragh O'Sullivan gets to grips with Cratloe's Enda Boyce - Gerard O'Neill/Clare Echo

Doonbeg 4-13 v 2-07 Cratloe

Two main headlines as a result of this encounter played at Clarecastle on Saturday afternoon. Firstly, Doonbeg, with a powerful last quarter, return to the knockout stages of Clare football and reached their first quarter-final since 2019. Secondly, Cratloe, champions from 2023 and the last side outside the county town to claim the Jack Daly, will now be fighting for their lives in a relegation scrap.

The plot saw Cratloe dominate the early exchanges of both halves. However, whereas their first period of dominance translated onto the scoreline, they were unable to do the same after the interval. Truthfully, they have been luckless in this championship. Without their free-taker and talisman Cathal McInerney, and subsequently danger-man Podge Collins, it has always been  an uphill struggle in Group One for Colm Collins' side.

Still, Cratloe burst out of the blocks in the opening half, propelled by Jamie Moylan's goal and a Ryan Harkin penalty for a footblock. It was to be a stellar opening period from Harkin, who kicked 1-4 of their 2-6 pre-break total. Yet, Doonbeg refused to yield. Points from Eoin Killeen and Darragh Burns, alongside the placed-ball accuracy of Darragh O'Sullivan, kept them firmly in touch. The equaliser arrived when defender Ger White ventured forward to palm home a looping delivery from Cathal Killeen not dealt with in the Cratloe square. This drew Doonbeg level by halftime with five of their six starting forwards having already registered scores.

When Harkin, Cratloe's standout performer, limped into the edge of the square to start the second half, Doonbeg justifiably smelt blood. Cratloe’s second purple patch yielded only a single score—Rian Considine’s third point of the game, struck four minutes into the half. Tellingly, that point proved to be their last of the entire contest. For the second round running, and no doubt accentuated by McInerney’s absence, Cratloe proved wasteful in front of goal; They missed goal and point chances from open play and frees and it is perhaps no coincidence that for the second consecutive game, the opposition goalkeeper was awarded Man of the Match. Eamonn Tubridy foiling them with four point blank stops. 

Off the hook, the fourth quarter was all Doonbeg’s, driven home to the delight of a vocal support starved of a victory over Cratloe in their last four championship encounters, as they powered clear to seal their long-awaited quarter-final return.

Eoin Killeen expertly dispatched a ball over the top to begin the late onslaught. Goal number three came at the end of Gavin O’Shea’s determined run from the left flank, while O’Sullivan’s freetaking maintained crucial breathing space between the sides. Finally, an injury-time rasper from Sean Conway sealed the deal, securing Doonbeg’s win and their place in the knockout stages in this battle for third place.

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Éire Óg, Inis 1-22 v 0-12 St. Joseph's Miltown Malbay

Above them, the top-of-the-table clash had none of the same jeopardy. Éire Óg maintained their flawless campaign so far, while St. Joseph’s Miltown—missing regulars such as marksman Eoin Cleary, Oisín O’Looney, and Eoin O’Brien—had already done enough prior to this round to not be overly perturbed by the loss. The eventual return of that missing personnel, alongside the comebacks of Cormac Murray and Gordon Kelly, should ensure Miltown remain a match for whichever group winner they draw in the hat.

The standout performer over the hour was the Townies' Mark McInerney, who accounted for an impressive 1-9. His goal arrived as the tie headed into the final quarter, putting the result beyond doubt. McInerney’s early scoring was supplemented by Darren O’Brien and Gavin Murray in the opening half, though two pointERs for Miltown from Ralph Whelehan and Cian Mahony kept things interesting. However, an unanswered spree straight after the break via McInerney, Oran Cahill, and David McNamara created a decisive gap before McInerney's green flag ultimately closed out the contest.