The pace of the season is gentle yet, but Tipperary are busy putting down markers and storing up confidence. They added the small bauble of the National Hurling League crown to their collection yesterday and though they won't spend evenings polishing the silverware, the custom of winning will serve them well.

The losers, Galway, have spent the spring talking up the importance of league excellence and the significance of their own unblemished record to date. Yesterday's derailment was a chastening experience. Galway amassed a five-point lead in the first 10 minutes, but as the game settled into a rhythm, they began to struggle in key areas. They hung on and afterwards manager Mattie Murphy was inclined to accentuate the positive in a suave media performance.

"You lose any game by four points and you can look back on elements in it and say that if this had worked or if that had worked it might have been different. We have a few months to prepare for the summer and the pleasing aspect about today was that every one of those players gave their all for the jerseys."

While Galway don't commence the championship until the first weekend in July, when they are expected to swat away the challenge of Roscommon, the start of the championship is jammed unfeasibly close to the end of the league for Nicky English's team. They play Kerry next Saturday night in a game which will consume fewer column inches but to which is attached far greater importance.

"That is a bigger game for us," said English, "and at the end of the day Kerry are a Division One team. We will be back training on Tuesday and Thursday this week and the key thing is to keep the minds focused on that."

To the general relief of competition sponsors Church and General, yesterday's events in Ennis surpassed the football final last week both in terms of quality and attendance. A modest crowd of some 13,500, among them Ger Loughnane, swung into the Clare capital for a game which was livelier and more honest than its football counterpart last week.

Tipperary have several spots for which the Smart Boy Wanted sign still applies. Knocking loudest with his CV in his hand yesterday was Conal Bonnar, the veteran defender who was called in to replace the struggling Brian Horgan after Kevin Broderick cut loose in the opening 10 minutes with three points from play. Bonnar's arrival capped the well.

It was a good day also for the other veterans of Tipperary's last golden era. When Galway's confidence was most effervescent early on, it was Declan Carr who pulled out a fine, long-range point to open Tipperary's scoring. A minute later John Leahy added a goal which signified that the game was on in earnest. A couple of minutes later Bonnar arrived and Tipperary were in business.

"After Declan Carr's point we got into it," said English afterwards. "After that is was more of a battle than anything else. I'm glad that we battled away and worked hard everywhere. I think the day is gone in a hurling game where a few key players are going to win a match for you."

By half-time Tipperary had edged into the lead. Tommy Dunne had two points from frees, a trickle which grew stronger after the break, while Carr and Liam Cahill supplemented with points. Things could have been worse for Galway. Just before half-time, Brian O'Meara crashed a ball against the Galway crossbar and Paul Shelly, following up, pulled overhead to the net for a fine goal which was harshly disallowed for an encroachment into the square.

After the break Tipperary continued to provide whatever magic was going. Cahill pulled brilliantly on a high ball to draw a fine save from Damien Howe in the Galway goal. Galway's attempts at revival were never stronger than in the middle of the second half when they pulled back to within a point when a 65 from Eugene Cloonan dipped straight to the Tipperary net.

That score was sandwiched between two Dunne frees and that was essentially the story of the second half, with the Toomevara man scoring seven points from placed balls.

Towards the end Galway pressed gamely, but Tipperary had recovered a little of the old confidence and rebuffed them easily. The celebrations which greeted their 17th league title were short and only slightly sweet, too, the surest sign yet that Tipperary heads are already engaged elsewhere.