Doyle says defeat by Clare will serve as wake-up call

IN the face of severe adversity, a defiant Michael Doyle warned yesterday that Tipperary won’t lie down and die despite being eclipsed by Clare in the first round of the Guinness Munster SHC at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

“Understandably we are bitterly disappointed. We hate losing to anyone. But I am convinced that this will serve as a wake-up call for us. We will regroup in a week’s time, we will sit down and analyse what went wrong on this occasion,” he said.

“We will get our act together and get this defeat, chastening though it was, out of our system. If we are men at all, we will come back from this disaster, bigger and braver.”

He added: “We have no excuse to make for this defeat. Clare were by far the better team on the day and

thoroughly deserved their victory.

“But we won’t go away and hide. Our pride will not allow us to do that. It is not the end of the road for us but the beginning of a new journey.”

Although reiterating his declaration that Clare were the superior outfit, Doyle felt his side got precious few breaks in a game that Cyril Lyons’ charges took by the scruff of the neck right from the word go.

“Things did not go right for us and Clare’s first goal was a real hammer blow. It meant we were always playing catch-up and as things subsequently turned out, we never succeeded in catching up.

“We desperately needed a goal ourselves after half-time to bring us back into any sort of serious contention, but we failed in this regard and Clare always had a cushion of eight or nine points.”

Doyle refused to attribute his side’s fall from grace to the injuries and the three month suspension of Eamonn Corcoran that kept a number of his first team players on the sideline.

“We have a strong panel. The simple truth of the matter was that Clare were sharper than us on the day and always looked the more hungry side.

“I have no cribs with our lads. They gave it 100%, but the heavy pitch did not suit them and Clare were always the physically stronger team.

“Maybe the fact that Clare were not involved in the closing stages of the league, worked to their advantage. They were much fresher than us. We were out for seven Sundays in the last nine and did not have the necessary edge to match Clare.

“We expected Clare to come at us hammer and tongs. That is what championship hurling is all about. This is the cut and thrust of battle and Clare were really up for it.

“Clare took control of the key central areas and that was crucial. They were always able to command the play and dictate matters and we were always fighting a losing battle.

“I am glad to say that our lads never gave up and fought to the death but they desperately needed a goal and when that did not come, our chances of pulling it out of the fire were practically nil.”

Doyle revealed that he never took on board the general consensus of opinion that Clare were a spent force: “I knew they had a bit more in the tank then they were credited for. They showed that they are still up there with the best of them and that everybody will have their work cut out to beat them.”