“They’re a full decade ahead of us in terms of preparation,” O’Connor said. “We’ve got two years of work done, and some of our younger lads are only in the system a year. We always knew that, with such an inexperienced group, we could be facing a huge challenge. And that’s exactly what happened today.

“But we’re still immensely proud of our players. We’re delighted to have represented Clare, but in the end, the task was just beyond us.

“After about 15 minutes, it was clear how things were going. They were outstanding. In that opening period, we turned over the ball far too easily — mistakes we’ll be disappointed by — and every one of them was punished.”

O’Connor recognised the clear difference between the teams. “Their speed through the middle third and the way they ran support lines — we just couldn’t get to grips with it. And their defence, as a unit, was excellent.

“This shows us the standard we need to reach if we’re to take the next step. That’s important to know heading into the winter, because now we have a clear picture of the level required. But based on what we saw today, it’s a big gap.”

He continued: “We’re a very young team. We’ve handed out 11 debuts in the last two years. For some of those young lads, today was simply a step too far.

“No excuses. There was no lack of effort or focus. We just came up against an outstanding team on the day.”