Clare's hurling manager, Ger Loughnane, was still furious yesterday with the manner in which Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final was analysed on RTE's Sunday Game. Still fuming because of the Montrose analysis of the game, he resumed his attack on programme panellist Eamonn Cregan at yesterday's official lunch for the four finalists at the Burlington Hotel.

"I thought the analysis made on RTE last night was totally unfair to both teams. It was totally inaccurate and nobody I know outside the man (Eamonn Cregan) that made that analysis would have done anything like that. We all know in Clare that he (Cregan) doesn't like us. He made that clear on many occasions since being a player and a manager."

The RTE panel, which also included former Cork hurler Tomas Mulcahy, didn't see eye-to-eye with Loughnane's reading of the match as being an epic.

"He (Cregan) wasn't an appropriate person to make an analysis of that game because of other interests. He wasn't a neutral person. There should have been a neutral person. For us at the team reception, it took from the enjoyment of the night."

"But," insisted Loughnane, "he had to be answered. Today I feel that I would be most desperately sorry if I hadn't answered him on behalf of the people of Clare, throughout the world, who have tremendous pride in this team and tremendous pride in the way they played. For years and years we had hoped we could play the way we played yesterday. We produced a second half of outstanding quality and to hear nit-picking, small little things that were picked out of it, small errors that were made, was hard to take."

The analysis, in Loughnane's view, was " mean-minded, smallminded, and it had to be answered.

"There was no reference to outstanding quality. We were subjected to a few nit-picking things, a few negative things that occurred in the game. Nobody even mentioned the great sportsmanship there was, despite all the talk that it was going to be a physical game and there was no mention of the epic finish," he claimed.

Loughnane said that Sunday's match was the third of three epic games between Clare and Tipperary this season.

"I hate negativity, we should be promoting the game in a positive way. We had everything positive in the game yesterday and to hear comments such as we did on Sunday night's television cast at the end of the year was absolutely outrageous. Not alone is there any question of my apologising but I reiterate what I said last night."

Of John Leahy's late shot for goal, Loughnane said: "He didn't strike with great conviction. Having said that it was a good save and on such things do great matches turn. Moments like that are all part and parcel of epic games, like the one we had yesterday," he said.

Leahy, incidentally, would not talk to the press.

Loughnane spoke of the way team managers are being treated by the powers that be and of his own situation in this regard.

As well as Len Gaynor, he had been restricted to a sideline bench for Sunday's game. He hopes that the GAA's new president, Joe McDonagh, will influence change in this area.

"Yesterday they insulted Len Gaynor by confining him to the dug out, telling him only two days in advance of the match," says Loughnane. "They put out two benches with wet paint for people to sit on. If we are not careful the lunatics will take over the asylum. It's as simple as that."

Loughnane is accused of transgressing by vacating the bench and moving along the sidelines.

He says: "It's not that I chose to ignore any ban. We had to win the All-Ireland yesterday. That's the County Board's mandate for myself and the selectors. The mandate has been, do our best for Clare. Sitting on a sideline, and the noise levels such as they are and with the game going so fast that you cannot get a person two yards away from you, how the hell are you expected to make a change without moving around the field?

"I am just hoping that they, the GAC realise that they have made a disastrous blunder. When you make a disastrous blunder you look at it again and remedy that blunder."

Loughnane suggests that the whole matter relating to restricting managers in their jobs during matches presents McDonagh with a major test. "This is the great test of Joe McDonagh's presidency, a brilliant orator, now the question is; is he a brilliant leader?

"All the leadership in the game at the moment is coming from ground level. From people who are promoting the game first of all and especially those who are coaching the game at inter-county level. None of the leadership is coming from the very top."

He lashed out at the Games Administration Committee (GAC) "All they are trying to do is to put obstacles in the way".

Meanwhile, apart from tomorrow evening's GOAL challenge match with the Rest of Ireland team, Loughnane is not sure when his side will return to competitive action. The indications are that the team will not be involved in the Oireachtas competition or in tournaments such as the five county league.

"The championship has yet to start in Clare and will not get under way until the end of the month. Players will obviously be tied up in domestic competition until November/December," advises Loughnane.

On the question of there being another All-Ireland in his side Loughnane says: "They are the best team in Ireland this year so why shouldn't they be right up there next year. I see no reason why they can't be."