Lohan laments Clare injuries but credits Tipp effort
After a titanic tussle in Ennis, Tipperary's championship future remains in their hands. Clare's is not.
Brian Lohan conceded that the All-Ireland champions' title defence could be over before they take to the field for their final-round fixture against Limerick.
The outcomes of the Limerick-Cork and Tipp-Waterford games next weekend will determine that.
For the second time this season, Clare fought back from 12 points down on home soil to level. Even though they couldn't see it out for a finish, the Banner boss was cheered by their resilience.
'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.'
Lohan called upon the fit-again Tony Kelly, who finished with 1-1, including a penalty he won himself.
Shane O'Donnell returned off the bench for his first appearance of 2025. The Hurler of the Year had completed just two training sessions but won two pointed frees.
They missed Conor Cleary and Diarmuid Ryan in defence, Conor Leen only lasted 20 minutes.
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.'
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