A summer that promised much for Clare is under threat after one round of the Munster Championship. The Division One champions started very strong only to lose to the All-Ireland champions yesterday in Ennis and now face a very tricky trip to Supervalu Páirc ui Chaoimh next Sunday to play a Cork team who also lost on Sunday.
Clare lead by 8 points in the 55th minute of their game against Limerick yesterday and when the final whistle was blown, they had lost by three. While there were infractions in the build-up to two of Limerick's three goals, Donal Óg Cusack on last night's Sunday Game said that Clare can only blame themselves for their second-half collapse.
.@DonalOgC thinks two of Limerick's goals should have been square balls but that Clare can't blame anyone but themselves for a "collapse in the last quarter"
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"These games always come up with controversy. Obviously, Clare will be disappointed giving Hegarty so much room,” he said.
"He rifled his shoot. We highlighted the ball as soon we were sure it was outside the square. Gillane, it must be said that the foot was in the square, so by the letter of the law, in terms of the way we see it, it was in the square,
He also got a really good break with the ball bouncing off the post and hitting his chest. From an attacking point of view, you can say that’s what makes him the best in the game: he was there for it. We watched it on ten different cameras today, so that should also be said. The difficult job that umpires have judging the ball going at this speed.
"For this one here (Gilliane’s first goal), there is no doubt that he was in the square and he was interested with it having said that Clare are going to be really disappointed. This is bread and butter for a full-back and a goalkeeper, and neither will be happy with that, and I think that’s the key thing here for Clare,
"Some Clare people might point to those goals, but you have to say that Clare, over the last number of years, have a tendency to blame everyone from RTÉ to referees. There is only one group of people Clare should be looking at today, and it's themselves for that collapse in the last quarter and not point at those two possible square goals."
Speaking to reporters after the game, Brian Lohan was not making excuses.
“Three shocking goals from our perspective. They happen sometimes and they happen to us and we have to respond to it now, see if we can.
“Goals change matches. They got a couple of handy ones and that was the difference.”
