Tipperary manager Michael Ryan said that relief was his main response to seeing his team overcome a dogged Clare performance to reach a fourth successive All-Ireland semi-final. He did however express concern at an injury picked up by full forward Séamus Callanan.
“Even when we got off to a reasonably good start there in the first half Clare hit us with two super goals, really well taken goals. They showed us exactly the kind of ability they have got in that squad but look, I was very happy with our fellas too. We were doing lots of things well.
“I thought we got into the game from the off. We put up an overall decent tally of points. But look, the overriding feeling here is total relief to have got through. Clare got six unanswered points in-a-row, had the gap down to one and that was the tipping point of the game. Thankfully it just tipped back in our favour so we’re delighted.”
Callanan, who finished with seven points, four from play, had to be replaced before the end and Tipperary will be anxious as they wait for news of any prognosis.
“Séamus Callanan has ice on his elbow, to be honest after that I don’t know. The initial news I got on the sideline was that his fingers were in trouble – does that mean broke, I honestly don’t know. The medics will be all over it. We’ll know for sure within 24 hours.”
He also paid tribute to the newly opened Páirc Uí Chaoimh and said that Tipp’s decision not to avail of the offer of a practice run had had no impact on their performance.
“It is a fantastic stadium and it’s a credit to Cork. We are delighted to have been part of one of the two inaugural games down here. I think it’s kind of Croke Park-esque.
“That didn’t impact the guys at all. We actually didn’t come down as a team beforehand. I was actually down here myself on Wednesday morning with work but it’s exactly as I described, it’s Croke Park-esque. I was really impressed by the quality of the pitch. That was our first time to get on it and it was really good. I think it will be a fantastic stadium going forward.”
Donal Moloney, one of Clare's joint managers, succinctly listed the deficiencies in a battling but unavailing performance.
"The wides are regrets; we missed goal chances as well and probably made a few mistakes in defence too," he said. "They're a lot of the regrets but having said that, we have an awful lot to be positive about as well. We had some outstanding performances today, some of the guys in the full-back line, Jamie Shanahan, Conor Cleary were really good and up front Aaron Cunningham and Peter Duggan. "
He said that he and his joint-manager Gerry O’Connor had been unhappy with the disallowing of Conor McGrath’s ninth-minute goal because he had taken too many steps with the ball.
“It was very harsh. It was very harsh, to be perfectly honest. We couldn’t buy a free in the first 20 minutes.”
O'Connor had had words with the referee Colm Lyons at half-time.
“Yeah, look, it is a big game for Colm Lyons as well – wouldn’t be complaining too much about it but that was harsh; that was a very harsh free. There were loads of other incidences of over-carrying throughout the game and that was a very big call for him to make.”
