Clare must look in the mirror – rather than point the finger at the man in black – if they're to get back to hurling’s promised land any time soon, says RTÉ analyst Dónal Óg Cusack.
The Banner men went out on their shields in a pulsating All-Ireland semi-final clash for the ages at Croke Park on Sunday, Kilkenny edging the final act to prevail by three points. Clare’s wait for an All-Ireland title will go into a second decade following this latest reversal.
Afterwards, Clare manager Brian Lohan suggested that his players hadn’t quite got the rub of the relic from referee Colm Lyons. Undoubtedly Lyons’ most contentious call came when he disallowed a Mark Rodgers goal in the second half in order to bring the play back to allow an 'advantage' to Clare for a foul around midfield.
After a tough defeat, Clare fans may want to avert their eyes - and ears - for this particular segment. #sundaygame #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/KeCndfl13w
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Most observers, even those of a Black and Amber persuasion, might have felt the official could have held his whistle for an extra half second as Kilkenny full-back Huw Lawlor dropped a high ball around his own 14-yard line.
A tough break indeed – but Cusack insists Clare have nothing to gain by lamenting the twists and turns of championship hurling.
"Clare can count themselves unlucky in that," the former Cork keeper said on RTÉ’s The Sunday Game.
"But I don’t think that was the biggest thing out of the game. Clare would be better off looking at themselves. There is a tendency over the last while to be focusing out of those types of big decisions, but it is swings and roundabouts.
"Colm Lyons didn’t strike all the balls wide that Clare did today. Didn’t strike all the balls wide last year. They were the architects of their own downfall with that goal. That wasn’t Colm Lyons’ fault.
"For Clare, going forward, it needs to be looking inward rather than looking for some scapegoats."
Cusack’s fellow analyst Ursula Jacob agreed with her colleague – although with perhaps a bit more sympathy for Lohan’s defeated squad.
"It was a key moment. I agree and understand Dónal Óg’s point, you can’t look for those individual mistakes, you have to look at the bigger picture," the former Wexford star said.
"But that will stick in Clare minds – they should have been allowed to get that goal."
Watch the All-Ireland SHC final LIVE on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, listen LIVE on RTÉ Radio or follow Live Updates via rte.ie/sport on Sunday 23 July.
