Dónal Tuohy, my good God.
There are fewer better things in this world than the All-Ireland hurling semi-final. It always, always delivers. There’s always, always non-stop noise. It’s always in the balance for 70 minutes and more. 90 minutes in this case.
And, do you know, there are even less things more impressive on this earth than a hurling goalkeeper producing a point-blank save, in a big game, with a sliotar coming at his goals at God knows how many miles per hour.
Well, if it wasn’t for Dónal Tuohy, Clare were toast.
They had fought back from the brink – from nine points down – and they brought Liam MacCarthy into a melting pot where even Galway and all their assurance and dominance couldn’t wrestle it back.
Magic in the air out westhttps://t.co/3mlJPqOewe
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) July 28, 2018
But, just as the Banner had the Tribesmen by the pin of their collars, Conor Cooney could’ve ended it all 10 minutes into the second half when he got a sight at Tuohy’s goal and drilled and effort that might well have been the final nail in the Clare coffin.
Then Tuohy produced the ridiculous.
Not only did he react on time, not only did he keep his eye on the bullet and get his hurl to it somehow, he was able to turn the effort away with the hand of his hurl – the slimmest part of the stick.
Massive save from Clare's Dónal Tuohy. pic.twitter.com/Vlb8mc1SEk
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 28, 2018
The reflexes, the agility, and the pure composed skill to produce a moment of magic like that is what sport looks like at its very, very best.
And, because of Dónal Tuohy, Clare got extra time against the All-Ireland champions
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