Shane Dowling felt the way Clare dealt with Cork's puck-outs was a key factor in turning Sunday's All-Ireland final in their favour.
In the semi-final, Cork took Limerick's Kyle Hayes out of the game with a tactic where Declan Dalton stood as far up the field and close as he could to the wing during their puck-outs, leaving space across from him and behind him.
Patrick Collins pucked the ball deep into the space, generally on top of Brian Hayes who broke the ball often for the likes of Shane Barrett and Darragh Fitzgibbon to run onto.
On The Sunday Game, Shane Dowling picked out various examples where instead of being out on the sideline, Declan Dalton contested Collins' puck-outs in a crowd of players.
But it didn't go well for Cork as they only won two out of fourteen of these long puck-outs in the first half.
7 July 2024; Cork goalkeeper Patrick Collins during the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final match between Limerick and Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
"The one thing Cork went after down in Páirc Uí Chaoimh was the long puck-out," said Dowling.
"They destroyed Limerick getting the breaks and they did the same thing again in the semi-final.
"Deccie Dalton kept Kyle Hayes really wide, kept him and out of the game and they gambled on the breaks and it worked.
"But the long puck-outs today in the first half, the stats were frightening, Cork only won 2/14...Maybe they didn't give David McInerney the respect that Kyle Hayes got.
"But the first puck-out, down on top of them, Deccie drifting into the centre, David Mc caught it over him," said Dowling.
"They just didn't do what they did against Limerick for some strange reason I don't know why. They just didn't get their positioning right today."
The former Limerick player also felt Cork weren't as 'aggressive' on the breaking ball, with Clare coming out on top.
Jackie Tyrrell felt Clare a hand in setting the terms of engagement regarding Cork's puck-out. He said the Clare players didn't budge from their positions, forcing Dalton's hand in a way.
"What Cork did really well against Limerick, they pulled the Limerick half back line out ten or fifteen yards which allowed them a bit of space for Brian Hayes to go in and break it," said Tyrrell.
"Davy Mc and those lads, they didn't move. They were actually under the ball, whereas Limerick were backing to it. Brian Hayes used to start in the corner, run to the edge of the day and break it.
"But that five or ten yards wasn't there because Clare dropped a little deeper and didn't allow it," added Tyrrell.
Anthony Daly also felt the referee Johnny Murphy's officiating of the puck-out played a part. Daly felt that Murphy didn't let the puck-outs off as quick as Thomas Walsh in the semi-final.
"One thing I looked at before the game was how against Limerick, Patrick Collins got off a massive amount of quick puck-outs, even after scores," said Daly.
"I don't think Johnny allowed that today, I think he had a word with both keepers.
"While he did (let the keepers go quick) after wides, but after scores, his hand was constantly up, wait until I tell you to puck it out, I thought that might have affected things a little bit."
