Former Limerick star Niall Moran thinks referee James Owens has been left isolated by the decision to award a controversial penalty in Sunday’s Munster SHC clash between Tipperary and Clare.

Owens adjudged Aidan McCarthy’s foul on Tipp’s Jake Morris early in the second-half at the LIT Gaelic Grounds along the sideline in the left corner to be a goalscoring opportunity and awarded the penalty which Jason Forde ultimately dispatched as the Premier men won out by 3-22 to 2-21.

Speaking on RTÉ's Game On, Moran said he did not agree with Owens’s decision but felt that the Wexford official has been left isolated since.

"In real time it was impossible to agree with and do I agree with it now, no. But he interpreted the rule as it was and probably carried it out to the letter of what it was written in," said Moran.

He added: “I think that word 'clear' is probably what is costing James Owens his night's sleep at the moment because he probably interpreted it and officiated that in the way that it was meant to be and I do have immense sympathy for him because I think he's been left isolated by the powers that be in refereeing, because nobody has really - not to my knowledge and I stand corrected - but nobody has jumped to his defence in that.

"For the powers that be who made these rules to sit silent as he gets slated again in public, I think it's wrong in so many facets.

"Look, the decision was made and it's not James' first bad decision but for everybody to sit by idle and let him take the flak, I think somebody has to jump to his defence at some stage."

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