Declan Ryan couldn't say for certain whether the disallowed point he had struck was good. "The umpire at that post waved it a point and the umpire at the other post contradicted him and said it was wide. I couldn't say for certain. Every point was hard to get against that Clare defence but that's it. You could say I had one bad wide and one dubious wide. Clare played very well today so, the best of luck to them."

Reflecting on another vital shot - John Leahy's bid for goal in the closing stages that finally decided the issue - Ryan said that had he been in the same situation he would have gone for the goal as John Leahy did. "It was a good save by the keeper. Maybe he didn't strike it as well as he would have liked. These things happen that's what makes the game so great."

Ryan added: "Clare were probably hungrier than us today. They were really pumped up. There again, we were a point ahead with 10 minutes to go."

Tipperary manager Len Gaynor declined commenting on the controversial disallowed `score' because he said he had been confined to the bench. He was at the wrong angle. "I didn't really see it. I was at the wrong angle to see it. If it was a point then there will be a bit of trouble I suppose."

Commenting on that dubious first-half Ryan wide, Liz Howard, the county PRO said that she "would be very interested in viewing it on video".

A similar controversy last year during a Leinster football championship match between Laois and Carlow led to a replay following video evidence.

"Hailstones in September". Paul Shelley's graphic description of what it was really like in the Tipperary defence yesterday, was confirmation for Clare followers of the might of their team as an attacking force.

"It was like hailstones hitting you in the face, they were coming so fast the whole time. The only consolation for us was that we kept a clean sheet as far as goals are concerned. In this respect we realised what we set out to do and not give away a goal."

Manager Gaynor said: "When we got the two goals I thought we were going to get there but unfortunately, it wasn't enough."

Gaynor was pleased with his team's performance: "We made a great fight of it and we made a great game of it. Nothing disappoints me with Tipp's performance, it was super today. A point between the teams at the end of 70 minutes of hard hurling is very small but it means so much. There's winners and there's losers. We were the losers today."

Recalling the Leahy versus Fitzgerald last-gasp shot, Gaynor said: "It was one good man against another good man. He (Leahy) struck very well and Davey Fitzgerald saved very well."

Tipperary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins said that the team felt they didn't have a big enough lead at half time.