*Clare manager, Brian Lohan is issued a yellow card by referee Thomas Walsh. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
TIPPERARY were “gifted” scores by Clare’s defence which proved detrimental to their challenge in the opening round of the Munster SHC, Banner boss Brian Lohan has said.
Five goals were conceded by Clare with Jake Morris and Jason Forde both raising green flags on two occasions as Tipperary defeated Lohan’s side on their home turf of Cusack Park in front of a packed to capacity attendance on Sunday evening.
Speaking following Clare’s five point loss, the Shannon man reflected, “It’s very hard to win games when you’re conceding so many goals and making so many mistakes, there’s a good bit of fight and spirit in our lads but when you’re conceding goals and making so many mistakes it is just so hard to keep recovering and that’s what happens”.
Within the first three minutes, Tipperary had registered 1-03 without reply before Clare responded with six points in a row. Their momentum was stalled with the concession of a further two goals before the half-time whistle. “They were gifts, when you do concede those kind of goals, it’s so hard to score them at the other end,” Lohan said.
“A poor start” is how the two-time All-Ireland winning full-back remarked of Clare’s defensive display. “Sometimes these things happen, people sometimes make mistakes and we have to get on with it, it’s tough,” he added of the mistakes from short puck outs which led to two Tipperary goals.
By half-time, Clare were within two points of their opponents after Mark Rodgers raided for two goals in the opening half.
Brian said their inability to close the gap further was again hindered by mistakes. “It’s so hard to get scores at the opposite end when you’re conceding them so soft, they really were gifts of scores and you can’t give a team like that gifts of scores, that’s about it”.
Of annoyance to the Clare manager was the issuing of a black card to wing back David McInerney for a foul which led to Jason Forde converting a penalty and scoring Tipperary’s fourth goal.
“There doesn’t seem to be too many other teams that get hit with these black card penalties, we’ve been hit with them twice against Tipp actually, has there been another black card in the championship? There certainly wasn’t in 2021 or in 2022 but we seem to get them which is tough on our guys,” he stated. “We found it very hard to get frees,” Lohan added.
A result against Limerick is needed to try rescue their attempts to qualify from the competitive province. “It is a tough championship, it is a tough gig, they don’t come any harder than what’s coming next Saturday night, we’ll dust ourselves down and see how we get on”.
