First half – Early buzz, Clare fightback
Waterford made an electric start to the game, racing into a 0-10 to 0-3 lead as Darragh Lyons and Jamie Barron dictated the tempo. Lyons landed three superb long-range points, while Barron buzzed relentlessly through the Clare defence. Tactically, Waterford’s setup offered few surprises, with Tadhg de Búrca stationed in his customary sweeping role at the top of the D — as illustrated in the image below.
However, Clare failed to maintain sufficient depth in their first-half attack, often leaving Conor Prunty free also, as Peter Duggan operated mostly out on the right wing. Duggan, continuing his industrious form from the previous week against Cork, impressed again — landing a sublime sideline cut in the first half and contributing three points from play overall.
The Waterford team during general play was a hard-working unit, with the half-forward line and midfield dropping deep to help their defence, the picture below we can see 11 players in shot with Patrick Curran and Dessie Hutchinson providing depth and an out ball. In ruck play they also outfought Clare during the first half with one Mark Fitzgerald point giving huge energy to the crowd after he won a dirty ball amongst a forest of players.
Despite playing into the breeze, Clare found a foothold through Duggan’s performance, Shane Meehan’s lively finishing, and Ryan Taylor’s direct running. At half-time, Waterford held a three-point lead with their inaccuracy — from play and frees — allowing Clare to stay within striking distance.
Waterford, having dominated the early stages, briefly lost momentum before the break due to that wayward shooting. However, analysis of the puckout data below shows Waterford’s strong puckout retention, with only three losses on secondary ball after short puckouts.
Shooting efficiency was particularly impressive from midfield, with Lyons and Barron showing pinpoint accuracy. One area for improvement remains: the need for a reliable long-range free taker, even one who leaves frees short or directs them to wide areas.
Second half – Bennett’s brilliance
The pivotal moment of the match came when Mikey Kiely was fouled, allowing Stephen Bennett to score the penalty and widen the margin. John Conlon, however, will not be pleased with his role in the lead-up to the incident. As seen in the image below, Conlon turns his back on the ball carrier, Jack Prendergast − a fundamental defensive error.
In training, players are often drilled in this 2v1 scenario: the priority is to stay goal-side, force the attacker (Prendergast) into making a decision, and delay the play long enough for support to arrive. Instead, by turning his back, Conlon loses sight of both ball and man, and the opportunity opens for Prendergast to execute the offload to Kiely under little pressure − a moment Waterford ruthlessly capitalised on.
In fairness to Kiely, his contribution went well beyond winning the penalty. He also served as Waterford’s primary long puckout target during the second half. As seen in the second-half puckout map below, the concentration of yellow (circles and Xs) to the left of Clare’s setup highlights how effectively Waterford retained possession from their own restarts.
Not only did they secure primary possession, but they were highly competitive on breaks, turning those small wins into scoring opportunities — clearly reflected in the shot map to the right. Looking ahead, the likely return of Austin Gleeson to the attack will provide Waterford with even greater firepower as their campaign gathers momentum.
Below, we can see Waterford’s second-half shape, where they deliberately left plenty of space for their outlet passes and runners from deep. They maintained depth across the pitch, with Dessie Hutchinson (0-2) and Patrick Curran (0-2) effectively stretching the Clare defence and providing scoring outlets.
While Clare briefly closed the gap, once Bennett added his second goal Waterford pulled away to win. Their mix of veterans like Bennett and new blood like Fitzgerald suggests a revitalised Waterford team that could cause problems for any side.
What of Clare?
In a sport increasingly defined by fine margins, Clare’s wayward shooting gave away the very oxygen they needed to mount a serious challenge.
But it wasn’t just at the posts that Clare faltered. Their puckout struggles were a quiet killer. While Waterford retained a superb 69% of their own restarts, Clare managed 66%. More damaging was where they lost them – in dangerous midfield positions where Waterford pounced ruthlessly, turning turnovers into scores with devastating speed. In the second half, they lost 6 of the 13 puckouts they went long with. Each lost puckout became a psychological blow; each turnover a step further away from the comeback trail.
Without Tony Kelly’s orchestration or Shane O’Donnell’s explosiveness, Clare’s attacking efforts often felt disjointed. Duggan, Taylor, and Meehan battled manfully, but there was no fulcrum around which the attack could revolve. Instead, Clare resorted to hopeful solo efforts, which Waterford’s cohesive defence absorbed and countered.
Perhaps most concerning for Clare fans is the energy deficit that was so obvious after halftime. The furious intensity that had inspired their comeback against Cork a week earlier was missing. Waterford, by contrast, hunted in packs and never allowed Clare time to settle.
In the end, Clare weren’t undone by any grand tactical failure or moment of controversy. They were beaten because they failed at the fundamentals: win your ball, use your ball, take your scores.
Despite matching Waterford’s 39 shots, Clare’s 53% shooting rate (12 wides), and a 33% free-taking success crippled their chances.
Unless these core problems are urgently addressed, the road ahead in Munster could prove an unforgiving one, especially with Tipp coming to Ennis in two weeks’ time.
Jeffrey Lynskey managed Galway to three All-Ireland minor hurling titles. He is also a former Galway under-20 manager and is currently an MSc student in Sports Performance Analysis at Setu Carlow.
