Donal Óg Cusack says Clare have only themselves to blame for their late collapse against Limerick.

Leading by eight points with 15 minutes remaining, the Banner were outscored by 3-6 to 0-3 thereafter to lose by three and are now facing an early Munster SHC exit if they lose again to Cork at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh next Sunday.

While two of Limerick’s goals could have been disallowed, Cusack had little sympathy for Brian Lohan’s men when analysing their defeat on ‘The Sunday Game’.

"These games always come up with controversy. Obviously, Clare will be disappointed giving (Gearoid) Hegarty so much room,” the former Cork goalkeeper said.

"He rifled his shoot. We highlighted the ball as soon we were sure it was outside the square. Gillane, it must be said that the foot was in the square, so by the letter of the law, in terms of the way we see it, it was in the square.

“He also got a really good break with the ball bouncing off the post and hitting his chest. From an attacking point of view, you can say that’s what makes him the best in the game: he was there for it. We watched it on 10 different cameras today, so that should also be said. The difficult job that umpires have judging the ball going at this speed.

"For this one here (Gilliane’s first goal), there is no doubt that he was in the square and he was interested with it having said that Clare are going to be really disappointed. This is bread and butter for a full back and a goalkeeper, and neither will be happy with that, and I think that’s the key thing here for Clare.”

Cusack added: "Some Clare people might point to those goals, but you have to say that Clare, over the last number of years, have a tendency to blame everyone from RTÉ to referees. There is only one group of people Clare should be looking at today, and it's themselves for that collapse in the last quarter and not point at those two possible square goals."

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