*Clare manager, Brian Lohan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
COMPOSURE and an awful lot of intelligence saw Clare’s lift their game in the second half of Sunday’s Munster SHC first round to secure a draw with Cork, manager Brian Lohan has said.
Lohan was a delighted figure when reviewing Clare’s showing in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Cíosóg on Sunday. The All-Ireland champions produced a stirring second half comeback, clawing their way back from twelve points down to sneak ahead before Declan Dalton landed a late equaliser for the Rebels.
“It was a typical Munster championship game and I am delighted with our lads and the fight that they had and with their composure. I am thrilled that we showed great attitude, we didn’t panic, we just kept trying to keep the scoreboard ticking over and with the quality we have inside, we were always dangerous. We were dangerous in the first half but we just didn’t get the return, we did in the second half”, Lohan stated.
He continued, “you just have to be thrilled with how lads played and to show the fight that they did and you just have to be delighted with that”.
Despite a poor opening half showing, the Clare manager said there wasn’t a sense of panic in their dressing room at the break. “Even though we hadn’t played well in the first half and we had made a couple of mistakes, there was no sense of panic. That breeze was significant enough and we did feel that while it wasn’t a ten or eleven point lead but it was a five or six point breeze and if we could get goals without panicking we were going to be in the game”.
An injury doubt ruled out Conor Cleary from Sunday’s tie while a decision to start Diarmuid Ryan was made but he only lasted a quarter of an hour. “Diarmuid Ryan and Conor Cleary were doubtful and we made a decision to play Diarmuid. We have had bad luck with injuries all year and it continued on today as well. We are really happy with the group, we were up against such a good team, we are really delighted with the attitude and to produce what they did in the second half”.
There are no easy games in the Munster championship, the All-Ireland winning manager noted. “Every game is such a big game now and all are so difficult to win, it’s rest relax now after a draining game. We will relax for the early part of the week and then get ready for Waterford. All these points in the Munster championship are all really hard to win, lose your concentration for any period of time and you are hurt and hurt badly. We lost our concentration in the first half and we conceded 2-3 or 2-4 but our concentration was excellent in the second half and we were able to turn it around”.
Lohan went on to say “we are just delighted with the lads, they just give so much and have done for a number of years. We don’t always win but they always give that bit of fight and we are delighted with that and that’s what our supporters are looking for”.
League champions Cork were raging hot favourites for the first round clash. “We were made underdogs and that’s fair enough, we hadn’t played well all year and Cork had played so well in all their matches. League is league and championship is championship and we always felt we had a shout. We showed great belief and great resilience. The question was did we have the guts and composure and we got an answer today. We felt even though it looked bad at half time, it wasn’t that bad, it can be a difficult breeze to play against. There is so much involved in the puckout now and winning that puckout. It was hard for us in the first half and it was always going to be hard for them in the second”.
On the performance of Peter Duggan, he remarked, “he was excellent, he was a brilliant out ball for us”.
When asked on the free awarded to Cork which saw Dalton equalise, he said, “that’s the way games are decided, we are happy enough with the point”.
