*Brian Lohan looks on during Saturday’s loss to Tipperary. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE are “completely dependent” on other results to save their season, manager Brian Lohan has acknowledged.
Successive championship losses to Waterford and Tipperary have Clare on the brink of exiting the championship.
Reflecting on the season to date, shortly after Saturday’s loss to Tipperary at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Cíosóg, Clare manager Brian Lohan said “it’s been tough because of the injuries more than anything else. We are asking a lot of guys to go out and tough it out against real good quality opposition. We just came up a little bit short but it’s only a little bit. I wouldn’t be that downbeat about it. We are still delighted with our bunch, they showed a great bit of endeavour again today”.
Commenting further on the injuries he said “we thought we were equipped to deal with that but obviously not. We have been unlucky with the number of injuries. That’s not an excuse. Credit to Tipp, they played well, they have had some tough times and credit to them”.
He said Shane O’Donnell “trained twice, it’s not ideal but it is what it is”.
Understandably disappointed to have lost to Tipperary he said, “we did well in the second half and we got back level but Tipperary pushed on a got a couple of scores. The space they were able to create in the first half put us under pressure for the first twenty minutes. We had expected to do better but we didn’t”.
Continuing he said “we did well for all of the second half, we got to grips with their forward line, they weren’t making the same kind of runs in the second half as in the first. Look we were there or thereabous and unfortunately not able to get the victory”.
Asked why Clare didn’t manage to go ahead after drawing level in the closing stages he said, “there are two teams out there, and you must give credit to Tipp, they responded well, That happens in hurling, sometimes you are beaten regardless of all the planning or effort put in”.
Commenting on the breeze and the effect it had on the game he said, “I didn’t think it was a nine point advantage, five or six maybe. I wouldn’t fault any of the lads, they responded very well but we are disappointed to lose”.
Continuing he said “you have to give credit to Tipp. They responded well for the last five or six minutes. They go a good response from their bench as we did from ours. They were able to get the scores and he victory”.
The Wolfe Tones clubman accepted “we are dependent on other results now. We will see how the other games will go and take it from there”.
