'I wouldn't be that downbeat' — Lohan points to Banner injury woes after Tipp defeat

PLENTY TO CHEW ON: Clare Manager Brian Lohan

Brian Lohan says Clare shouldn’t be too downbeat after falling to a three-point defeat at home to Tipperary.

The Banner boss conceded that their All-Ireland title defence could be ended before they take the field again, depending on the outcomes of the Limerick-Cork and Tipp-Waterford games next weekend.

But Lohan was cheered by the spirit they showed to fight back from 12 points down on home soil yet again, even if they couldn’t see it out for a finish.

“It's been tough,” said Lohan. “But it's been tough because of the injuries more than anything else. And we're asking a lot of guys to go out there and tough it out against really good quality opposition.

“Just came up a little bit short, but it was only a little bit. I wouldn't be that downbeat about it.

“We're still delighted with our crew. Delighted with our bunch that we have. They showed a great bit of spirit and endeavour again.” Clare lined up without Conor Cleary and Diarmuid Ryan, while Conor Leen was removed within 20 minutes.

Tony Kelly was fit to start, while Shane O’Donnell came off the bench. Lohan revealed the Hurler of the Year had trained twice before being introduced for the final 25 minutes.

But he wouldn’t offer up those injuries as an excuse for the defeat either.

When asked why Clare couldn’t kick on after drawing level, the manager replied: “I suppose there's two teams out there. You'd have to give credit to Tipp. They responded well for the last five or six minutes.

“They got a good contribution from their bench, as we did. They were able to get the scores and got their victory.

“So, look, that happens in hurling. Sometimes you're beaten, regardless of all the planning that you do or all the effort and time that you put into things. Sometimes you're beaten.” 

Defensively, Clare were taken for four goals inside 23 minutes. It could’ve been six had Tipp put away all their chances.

“We left ourselves an awful lot to do after the first half performance. Defensively, not as good as we would like to be in the first half,” said Lohan.

“With that kind of forward line, that kind of movement, and the space they were able to create, we were under pressure for that first 15 or 20 minutes.

“It's an area we had expected we would do better, but we obviously didn't. Four goals conceded is way too much in this game.

“We were under a bit of pressure, but at the same time, we responded fairly well. I wouldn't fault any of the lads in there, they did very well. Just disappointing to lose it.” 

The Banner must wait in purgatory for the next week before discovering whether their final-round trip to Limerick carries any prospect of progression.

“Yeah, you're completely dependent on other results,” replied Lohan. “So you could be out of the Championship and the All-Ireland series now. We'll just see how other results go and have to just take our beating.”
Lohan didn’t feel the breeze at Tipp’s backs accounted for the nine-point half-time deficit. He valued the advantage closer to five or six points. Any positives he can glean from this defeat will centre around their second-half rally to level with seven minutes remaining.

“We did very well for all of the second half, really. At the same time, Tipp did look dangerous, but we got to grips with their forward line. They certainly weren't making the same kind of runs in the second half as they were making in the first half. We were there or thereabouts, but unfortunately, we weren't able to get the victory.”