Those involved with Clare will be waking up this morning knowing that they missed a potentially big opportunity against Kilkenny yesterday.
Brian Lohan's side failed to show up in the opening half of the game, going into the halftime break trailing by five points. They improved in the second half, finding themselves ahead at one stage. However, a couple of key errors mixed with the brilliance of the opposition goalkeeper meant that they would come up short in the semi-final for the second successive year.
Despite coming up short on the day, it seems some people within Clare are unhappy with some of the decisions that went against them in the game.
Donal Óg Cusack had no interest in Clare excuses for Kilkenny loss
Brian Lohan made it clear in his post-match interview on RTÉ yesterday that he was unhappy with the refereeing performance in the game, believing that his side had come out on the wrong side of quite a few decisions over the course of the match.
The most controversial one came in the second half, when referee Colm Lyons failed to play advantage on a passage of play that looked all but certain to lead to a Clare goal. The RTÉ pundits agreed after the game that the official had gotten that one wrong.
In saying that, many feel that the referee cannot be blamed for the result of the game.
Speaking on The Sunday Game, Donal Óg Cusack said that Clare would be better served reflecting on their own performance rather than blaming outside factors.
After a tough defeat, Clare fans may want to avert their eyes - and ears - for this particular segment. #sundaygame #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/KeCndfl13w
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 9, 2023
I think Clare can count themselves unlucky in that, but I don't think it should be the biggest thing coming out of the game. From a Clare point of view, Clare would be better off looking at themselves.
There is a tendency over the last while to be focusing on those type of big decisions, but it is swings and roundabouts. Colm Lyons didn't strike all the balls wide that Clare did today, didn't strike all the balls wide last year.
What was said they're commentary, that they were architects of their own downfall with the (Eoin Cody) goal, that wasn't Colm Lyons' fault.
I definitely think for Clare going forward, it has to be about looking inwards rather than looking for a scapegoat like Colm Lyons.
This is a disappointing end to the year for Clare, who many people felt were the county best equipped to challenge Limerick for the Liam MacCarthy this summer.
Unfortunately, they will have to wait at least one more year for the opportunity to do so once again.
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