Clare 2-14 Down 1-9
With merely pride to play for, it was Clare that grabbed an ideal pre-championship boost in Páirc Esler in Newry on Sunday.
Off the back of three successive defeats, the visitors welcomingly bucked that trend with an encouraging display accentuated by 11 different scorers.
On the flip side, it was another frustrating afternoon for already relegated Down who, along with being sucker-punched by a brace of first half Clare goals, also saw their fightback curtailed by the dismissal of full-back Finn McElroy allied to a late black card for Gerard Collins to finish with just 13 players.
Clare laid down an early marker when Gavin Cooney's timely interception initiated a five-man counter-attacked finished to the net by Aaron Griffin to make it 1-1 to 0-1 after eight minutes. .
Down wouldn't be as clinical as visiting goalkeeper Stephen Ryan stopped a point blank Liam Kerr attempt in the 27th minute, a save that would be magnified when the overlapping Cian O'Dea doubled Clare's advantage by the interval at 2-5 to 0-5.
Without a victory in almost 10 months, it would get worse for the Ulster side before an inevitable second-half backlash as goalkeeper Ryan denied Andrew Gilmore amidst a four point unanswered rally for the Banner County by the turn of the final quarter at 2-9 to 0-6.
Substitute Cory Quinn grabbed an unlikely Down lifeline with a back post goal before eventually lessening the damage to just three entering the final ten minutes.
However, the home side’s indiscipline would ultimately prove costly as a buoyant Banner finished with the last five points to secure a much-needed victory.
CLARE: S Ryan; C Jordan, C Russell (0-1), C Rouine; J Malone, E Collins, C O'Dea (1-0); D Walsh, D O'Neill (0-1); E McMahon (0-1), E Cleary (0-4, 2 frees), P Lillis (0-1); D Tubridy (0-2, frees), G Cooney (0-1), A Griffin (1-1). Subs: B McNamara for McMahon (h-t), B Rouine (0-1, 1 mark) for Cooney (h-t), D McDonagh for Walsh (44), C Downes for Collins (49), J McGann (0-1) for Griffin (69).
DOWN: N Kane (0-1, free); T McInerney, F McElroy, A Lynch; G Collins, C Poland, A Morgan; R McEvoy, P Havern (0-1); C Doherty, L Kerr (0-1), R O'Higgins; A Gilmore (0-3, frees), B O'Hagan (0-2, 1 free), J McCartan.Subs: C Quinn (1-1) for McCartan (44), C O'Rawe for O'Higgins (50), K McKernan for McEvoy (68).
Referee: A Nolan (Wicklow)
