IN the winter of 1994 Clare played Limerick in the final game of their pre Christmas league programme and won by a goal.

Opinions in Clare differ as to the importance of what transpired on that muddy afternoon. Management in Clare points to a Limerick team still traumatised after the All Ireland theft and playing out time waiting for Christmas to come.

"I think," says Ger Loughnane, that Gary Kirby was just back from holidays the morning of the game. Certainly we didn't read too much into that game. It was maybe the third or fourth time out for some of the team. Slow paced winter game, hard slogging but for a few of the lads it was their third or fourth time out with the team. We were slowly getting all the fellas we wanted into the side."

Only the league, only the league. Yet there was something vaguely important about beating Limerick on that mucky day in the Gaelic Grounds. Ollie Baker had a run out at midfield that day and the memory of his muscular enthusiasm stayed with people. Come the summer Baker was at midfield and Clare had no hang us about the side who had beaten them in the Munster Final the year before.

Limerick, meanwhile, spent the winter absorbing the shock of the All Ireland.

"WE had our internal disruptions and disputes. That's well known," says Tom Ryan. "Early in the league there was some strain after what had happened. It's hard to analyse. We never sat down and analysed it or talked about how everyone felt. We came back and started training in January and just got down to it.

"We worked hard but I thought we had no luck. We had a lot of key injuries, Ciaran Carey, Houlihan, Hegarty, Gary Kirby. We got the team back together again and beat Tipp by a point in Cork. That game could have gone either way but I thought we had it back then. Tipp were a good team in 1995. Then we got to Thurles and they got a good start and I thought nothing went our way after that. We missed out on some decisions and they played very well.

"I trained January, February and March of 1995 with Limerick," says Ger Hegarty, "and it was as tough as ever. Hard to put a finger on the difference. The appetite in Clare for success was unbelievable. Their fitness was way beyond what there was in 1994. Get to the ball first you can dictate the game.

For Clare the Munster title was the result of more ruthless pruning and the training schedule under Mike MacNamara which has become legendary. Coming out of the league final last summer Ger Loughnane and his selectors had gleaned more about Clare's chances than anyone else present. Clare needed three or four changes. Fast ball players, fellas who could run, because in Thurles you have to run. It came to pass.

"We'd made some changes and Limerick in fairness had some problems," says Ger Loughnane. "You could see from the start of the year that they hadn't the same will at all. People were missing from Tipp after the Waterford match. Gary Kirby scored a pile of points for them and they came through it. They didn't look like they had in 1994."

"1994 is blown out of all proportion," says Ger Hegarty. "We lost and Offaly won and then we got on with it. We trained hard in the spring. We were confident of going all the way. It wasn't something we talked about much. We were young and we thought we had plenty of time. There was still a feeling that we were entering a great era. We have beaten all the traditional teams. We have no fear of anybody."

"In 1994 and 1995 one side or the other wasn't ready or wasn't right," says Ger Loughnane. "There has always been a team who have had their eye on Cork or Tipp or the All Ireland final. This is where we clash on equal terms in the same frame of mind with complete respect for each other. That's what makes it the clash it is going to be. Two teams who have been transformed in the space of a few years. I'll be glad when it's over. The hype and the pressure down here this past few weeks, it's worse than the All Ireland. Really. Worse than the All Ireland. Everyone's gone mad."