Galway edge past Clare

Galway are through to the All-Ireland final for a second successive year following Sunday's 1-17 to 2-13 semi-final replay victory over Clare at Semple Stadium.

The defending champions survived a second-half Banner fightback to book their place in this year's final against Limerick at Croke Park on 19 August.

Micheal Donoghue's side led 1-09 to 0-06 at the interval, thanks to a 21st minute goal from Johnny Glynn and 10 wides from Clare.

But the Banner finally settled into the match in the second half, and Shane O'Donnell made it a four-point game with a brilliant individual goal on 43 minutes.

Peter Duggan reduced the deficit to one point with a long-range goal on 53 minutes, and Clare had a golden opportunity to take the lead 16 minutes later when Aron Shanagher went through on goal. However, the Banner substitute hit the post from close range with his effort.

Galway bounced back, with Joe Canning nailing a sideline cut and Niall Burke shooting over the bar to secure a narrow one-point victory, but Clare joint managers Donal Moloney and Gerry O'Connor were left to rue their side's 19 wides over the 75 minutes of play.

"Our shooting efficiency has been very good for a lot of games, but there was a lot of pressure on today," Moloney told RTE Sport.

"But Galway had a lot of wides too, so I wouldn't look on that as a primary factor. I feel Galway hung in there when we came with the storm in the second half. 

"I don't agree we played particularly badly in the first half, they have big capability with that early surge as both us and Kilkenny have experienced.

"Our focus was to try and weather it, then take it down the home straight. But Galway were magnificent in terms of the way they held out."

Image: Inpho/Tommy Dickson

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