Waterford rise to rap on Heaven's door

A biblical moment. One week after they were buried Waterford rolled back the rock, hit Clare on the head with a shovel and danced on the dirt. Justin McCarthy came among us media sinners and we parted like the red-nosed sea.

"Oh ye of little faith," quoth he. "Oh ye of little faith." And thus was he gathered unto the bosom of his dressing-room, never to be heard from again.

John Mullane, though, is a different kettle of piranhas. Washed and scrubbed in record time he was out and about on a meet-and-greet before some of the other players had heard the final whistle. He, too, had performed a critical analysis of the media.

"After last Sunday a lot of people slated us," he said to the faces of some of the nation's foremost slaters. "Some of the stuff that was said in the papers was a motivator. We had a good league, a good season. I don't know why the papers are always knocking us and not knocking others."

Perhaps, it was suggested gently, it's because you are, well, enigmatic as a team.

"That's just it," he said but you could tell he wasn't convinced. He went on to speak about being a Waterford forward. Sixteen wides last Sunday. Scored 3-21 this Sunday. Enigmatic we'd call it. Inconsistent others would say.

"I don't know. Some days everything goes for you. Today we got off to a good start and we knew we had it in us. It's going to be hard to keep the momentum going, though, but we'll do our best."

And what about Dan Shanahan? If Mullane looks like a bullet in flight when he has the ball, Shanahan is more like a cannonball. A cannonball that scored 3-1. "I'm delighted for Dan," said Mullane. "He's a guy who's got a lot of stick down the years. He's always coming in for criticism. He deserves everything he got today."

And then behind us, backlit in the sunshine stood big Dan himself. The names hurled at him over the years haven't left a line on his face. "Ye wouldn't let me take a shower first lads, no?" he said amiably, knowing full well days like this come around once maybe twice in a lifetime and you might as well suspend the normal rules and just enjoy it all.

"Today was a nice answer to a lot of things that were said during the week. I think people forget we work hard. I try very hard. I'm out in the field two or three times a week working away."

But presuming he has always done that, what's the difference this season between the desperate Dan of terrace caricature and the free-scoring destroyer of yesterday?

"Well I suppose this is an odd thing to say but I've got stronger. Gerry Fitzpatrick has done outstanding work with the squad. That's a big difference. Then again I had the bit of luck today.

"I've been in and out of the team over the years. This was only my second championship start under Justin. We went well but it's in our heads already that Tipp will be waiting for us, watching like hawks. They'll be gunning for us."

The three goals were of a piece. Poaching par excellence. Hunting around the square where the timber flies and the wrists need to be quick. Clare teams with Brian Lohan in them don't often concede goals like it.

"There wasn't any plan to bring Brian out and let me get in behind. After last Sunday Justin said 'keep doing what you're doing and scores will come'. Today Séamus (Prendergast) brought Brian out naturally and things just fell right for me. The chances just opened up. Even the third one. It just fell to me. I saw Davy Fitz looking up as I was coming in and sure enough the ball came back off the post."

In the end he almost stole a fourth. Andy Maloney fed him a lovely ball. He turned and pulled but Clare timber interrupted the moment.

"We knew a day like today was in us. Gerry and Justin have spent so long trying to get it out of us. They said it to us during the week: 'who'll remember last Sunday if we go out there and win this weekend?' They were right."

Managerial wisdom, like revenge, is a dish usually best served cold. Anthony Daly in the morgue-like quiet of the Clare dressing-room appreciated that the winners write the history and the losers live in the margins.

"No explanation really lads. The National League final last week didn't do us any good. Our fellas were listening to it all week, how they were going to win easily. We told them it wouldn't happen like that but it seeps into fellas maybe.

"This is right up with 1993 in terms of disappointment. We tried everything today and nothing worked. It's incredible how many of the lads went badly. We were being beaten in so many positions.

"To be honest it's hard to talk about. I have a good idea what will be written about us. We have five weeks to change that."

Five weeks. Clare looked so down and lost yesterday that perhaps planning should proceed on a generational basis.