Jamesie O'Connor column: Clare growing stronger as summer progresses | Should Wexford have had a penalty?

Mark Rodgers was among the Clare subs who made an impact

Clare were staring down the barrel of defeat with 15 minutes left on Saturday.

There were several things going wrong for the Banner. Key players were failing to make any impact on the game.

And when Ian Galvin hit the crossbar and Wexford found the net with the subsequent possession, it looked like it was going to be the Model County's day.

Clare were in a big hole. But to their credit, they managed to pull it out of the fire, and they have to take massive positives. And that is perhaps even more pleasing than if they had won easily.

That is huge for Brian Lohan. Clare can now draw on Saturday's performance when their backs are to the wall. Similar to the Munster final, this team has shown that they can respond to adversity.

The Banner are going back to Croke Park for the first time since 2018

The bench made a significant impact, scoring 1-4.

It was a massive decision to pull Rory Hayes in the eighth minute. Was it form-based? Or was it match-up based? Did they expect Rory O'Connor to go inside, and that Cian Nolan is physically better and matches up better with Lee Chin?

Brian Lohan is the only one who can answer that question. But it was a brave call.

Hayes is an automatic name on that team sheet. He almost coughed up an early goal.

Lohan didn't hesitate. He's the boss, and he's not going to shirk those hard decisions.

The Clare panel is growing in depth as the championship progresses. Mark Rodgers is returning to full fitness, and he is getting close to the player we have hoped he would become. The Scariff man made an impact when he was introduced.

Meanwhile, the word is that Aidan McCarthy is back from his long-term injury and he could be in the mix for the All-Ireland semi-final.

Shane Meehan did really well after his introduction, while Aron Shanagher changed the game. He made a case for inclusion in the starting team.

At times, Shanagher is one of those frustrating players. Sometimes you start him and you have to take him off. And he can be super off the bench. He needs consistency in his game. He needs the work rate that Peter Duggan and Shane O'Donnell are bringing to the team.

But he is a great option to have, and certainly gives you something different.

There is loads of competition for starting berths in the Clare forwards. Robin Mounsey, Aron Shanagher, Shane Meehan and Mark Rodgers are all pushing hard. And that's what you want.

It's a good place for Brian to be. I was worried that the Munster final had taken too much out of the team. I felt we were vulnerable, I felt it was a dangerous game. And that's how it transpired.

But the bench was pivotal in getting them over the line. That gives confidence to the lads who came on, it gives confidence to Brian, and the more competition over the next while for starting positions, the better.

Brian has shown he's not afraid to pick the team on form.

Should Wexford have been awarded a penalty?

Not playing well and still being able to get the job done is hugely pleasing.

But there's no point in kidding ourselves in Clare that everything is great. There is still a realisation that the first 50 minutes on Saturday would not be remotely good enough against Kilkenny. And the Banner dodged a bullet.

Lee Chin missed a free when Wexford were two points down late on. Charlie McGuckin didn't take a chance for a score, while Diarmuid O'Keeffe made an error that led to a Clare point.

And they dodged a bullet with Cian Nolan taking down Lee Chin. It could have easily been a penalty and a black card.

Lee Chin gets by Cian Nolan

The rule which came in last year is a good one. You don't want defenders rugby-tackling players.

My initial reaction on Saturday was that it was a good free to give away. Chin had rounded him, and was heading for goal.

But there is an argument that Paul Flanagan and John Conlon were getting back to cover. Could Chin have got a shot on goal? Possibly. But there were Clare defenders getting back.

For me, there was enough of a grey area to explain why Colm Lyons didn't award the penalty. Could he have awarded the penalty? He possibly could have. And Clare wouldn't really have any complaints.

But there were mitigating circumstances.

The rule is there to prevent the cynical fouling that defenders got away with in the past. And maybe this incident has put this back on the referees' agenda. I'm sure they'll meet this week to review the weekend, and it will be a topic for discussion.

Liam Sheedy has suggested drawing a line on the field to mark 25 metres in from the side-line, which would make life easier for the referees. At the moment, they are guessing.

They have a split second to make these decisions. I wouldn't trade places with any of the officials trying to referee these games. By and large, I thought Colm Lyons had a really good game.