AT THE FINAL WHISTLE of the Munster hurling final, Clare manager Brian Lohan took off his cap, fiddled with it for a few seconds, and made his way down the tunnel.

During the game, he had a running series of exchanges with his opposite number John Kiely that seemed less than friendly. This latest defeat is cruel on Clare. The unpalatable truth is that at times they have been good enough to beat them.

This wasn’t one of those days.

“Disappointed with the result obviously. But probably have to put your hand up as well and say you are up against a really good opponent,” said Lohan.

“While we are disappointed, we are still proud of our lads. They are still a resilient bunch. Disappointed of course but our lads fought hard.”

That beginning of the second half, having gone in at the break on level terms with Peter Duggan’s goal, was the period that did the most damage for Clare.

Lohan hailed Limerick’s ability to extract the most from their possession.

“There are so many crucial periods in the game. We left a bit behind us. We left three scores behind us, the time they scored it was their only shot on target. When we’re missing crucial scores and they are getting the only score they get. Their efficiency, most of what they struck went over the bar. They are a tough team to play against,” he said against.

Then, there were the chances that just didn’t work out. Mark Rodgers and his shot against the base of the post could have pushed this game into the clouds. That it rattled back out kept the contest rooted in reality.

“Crucial. Against Limerick, those breaks are massive. In the timing of the game as well, it was massive,” said Lohan, before moving the conversation on.

“The completion is finished now. We move on to a new competition. We will try approach it best we can. We have experience losing to these guys before. The last time we lost we were able to bounce back.”