'This one was for the people of Clare'

GER LOUGHNANE had blood on his cheek. Some frenzied, flag-waving, happy- jigging Clareman had leapt past him and scraped his left cheek and drawn a line of blood. Loughnane wore the badge happily. In great galaxy of moments he has enjoyed with this remarkable Clare side, this was one of the most satisfying.

He leans back, searches for his words and listens to the echoes of history.

"For every Clare person, especially for the older Clare generation who never saw a Clare team beat Tipp in a championship - it was for them today. This Clare team needed to do that to earn the respect. We needed to beat Tipp."

Whether the Munster championship is tricked out with trap doors and second chances is irrelevant. Beating Tipperary, lifting some silver and making a speech, that's the weave of boyhood dreams.

"That was a huge thing today," said Loughnane, chief dreamer. "We said we were going down at the weekend to earn respect. We never prepared like we did for today. We needed today. We needed to earn the respect."

Winning is winning, but the championship unfolds relentlessly regardless of hangovers or depressions. Loughnane considered the forensics.

"We went out of the game at times today, but we knew Tipp would always come back at us at some stage. Our commitment today was greater though I would say than in any game in 1995. That is a mark of Tipperary. They have won so many Munster finals and on their way destroyed so many Clare teams. We needed that commitment."

As the manager of the first side to win the new-format Munster championship, was the satisfaction in any way diminished by the knowledge that the foe were still breathing in the other room? His smile made the question redundant.

"No. Today was just for today. Something we had to do to get respect. To beat Tipp in a Munster final. That was an end in itself ford us. Never in the story of the GAA(, have we done that. That is a compliment to Tipp and the high regard in which they are held, but we had to beat them to get the respect. Tipperary could still win this All-Ireland.

"At 13 points today each a lot of people might have thought it was gone. We really had to lift it then, it was a crucial part of the match. We got the next two points and then David Forde got the goal. Tipp were playing catch-up hurling after that and we kept control.

"How many times though in the past did you see that when Clare went into the lead, and the other team drew level - and then Clare lost by 12 points."

In Clare these days every argument, every dream, every plan hinges on character. The county might bottle the stuff. Meanwhile Loughnane celebrated his side's latest uncorking.

"Today when it got tough it was when we really opened our shoulders. That is testimony to the character we have. Teams have better hurlers, but no team has character and people like we have they have shown that the last three years when the chips are really down. In the long run that is what is important.

"Our target now is to win two All-Irelands. That's our aim this year, a second All-Ireland. You are judged in the long run by that. Mick O'Dwyer said one time that any team can win an All-Ireland, but to win two All- Irelands you need a great team.

"Today was for the people of Clare. We move on to the All-Ireland stage now and that has different meanings."

Ger O'Loughlin enjoyed one of those big days with which he seems to decorate every high summer. He reckoned beforehand that he was just one of six players in contention for a position in the full forward line. Afterwards he felt that Clare had made a point with their character and strength in depth.

"We were the better team. I think we proved we are up there with the best. That's not to say that the next day they won't have learned. That's the crux of the whole system. It makes up for 1993, though. I think we have beaten them a lot more times since then than they have beaten us."

The effort was etched all over Sparrow's pale, drawn face. Had he found it tough out there? The Sparrow smiled. "We get back what we put in."

Brian Lohan looks intimidating even when he is sitting down resting his chin in his hand. Yesterday was one of his majestic days, and if there is an image to be carried away from Cork it is Lohan in his red helmet bursting from defence, crowd roaring at his back as he prepares to open his shoulders and drive the ball 80 yards.

In repose, he poured his thoughts over the team's response to the emergency early in the second half.

"We responded well today. It was a fabulous game overall, we came down and we were very focused and we produced it on the day which was very satisfying. Regarding myself Michael Cleary turned me for the first one or two today, but he's a fabulous player, he's very quick (hard to do anything with him.

"We knew at half-time they'd come out and they'd be firing. They came at us in droves and we didn't know what to do. Our only hope was that they would be slowed down a small bit and we would get some relief and get out and get a score. We did that."

The future? All-Ireland finals?

He shakes the head. "I don't know," he says. First question Brian Lohan has left unanswered all day.

Down the corridor, the Tipp team are housed in the cell of the reprieved. They left a Munster title behind them but might yet have an All- Ireland in front of them. Dejection was the prevailing mood.

Noel Sheehy shook his head and considered the breaking action which led to Clare's killer goal.

"The Sparrow got in and he went around me. He passed it on inside but I shouldn't have let Sparrow inside me. After that it was hard, it's hard when you are going for a goal, looking for a goal, everything is against you. A point or two is different."

Another victim, Colm Bonner, who will dream uneasily of Fergie Tuohy for some nights to come, discounted the rumours which had him laid low with injury during the week. At least he refused to make a crutch of them.

"You don't feel the best before games lots of times. I wouldn't use that as an excuse. I think when we get up again we'll look at today. If we win our league quarter-final next week maybe. That's what we need, we need to get up and start winning again. Who knows. If we were hammered by 15 or 16 points it would be harder, but we had our chances. It's bad, but it's not the end."

His brother Conal struck an equally downbeat note. "Obviously it's much better not to be out of the championship. We didn't play great. They were the better side. You have to hand it to them. We have Dublin on Saturday. Different attitude needed. A small thing could turn it back in our favour.

How will the response come? Is the confidence sucked out of them for good?

"It's new territory, nobody knows. As I said, it's better to be playing an All-Ireland quarter-final than waiting for the first round next year. It's hard. You are playing for your own pride out there, we all wanted to play well, nobody thinks that if they don't go for a ball they'll have another chance later. We'll worry about that chance now.

Len Gaynor looked desolate. Sitting alone with his thoughts. His sentences were offered up slowly and reluctantly.

"Good hurling is always good hurling; no matter who plays it you have to admire it," he said.