MacNamara says pride intact

MIKE MacNAMARA tried hard to look on the bright side after seeing his Clare team go under in Limerick yesterday, but it wasn’t easy.

“It’s the second year in a row that we played against Tipperary and felt we didn’t play as well as we could,’’ he said, alluding last year’s eight-point reversal in the Munster final.

This time it was much closer and with a bit of luck they might even have drawn the game. On reflection, the real positive was that they earned the respect of their supporters through an admirable show of character highlighted by the contribution of newcomer Colin Ryan and the impact of others like second-half substitute John Conlon.