Clare more than just a psychological barrier

On what basis can arguments for Waterford be best advanced ahead of tomorrow's Guinness Munster hurling final? The performance of their forwards, Paul Flynn notably, in the semi-final victory over Tipperary? Their admirable half-back line which controlled the same match? The liberating effect of taking a significant championship scalp after nine years?

None of the above, really. Waterford's best chance concerns Clare and how the All-Ireland champions have paced themselves this season. This benign theory (from the challengers' point of view) runs along the lines that Ger Loughnane, his selectors and his players were so incensed by Cork's new pomp, that they put everything into teaching the pretenders a lesson.

Now, faced with a team they haven't played once at championship level since their steady ascent began, Clare may have a motivation problem. Waterford are outsiders with a proud past but a history that has frequently in recent times touched on destitution.

Did too much effort go into taming Cork? Is there enough left - not merely for Waterford but for all the championship tasks ahead? Waterford - perversely to the casual observer - are less intimidated playing Clare than would have been the case had Cork emerged from the semi-final. Even in this year of resurgence, Waterford's only two defeats have been against Cork - including the NHL final in which they had more than enough possession to win.

Yet the county has a grand record against Clare, albeit in the days before the current juggernaut materialised in the south-west.

Other psychological considerations include the new championship format. Waterford have the safeguard of knowing that tomorrow isn't one of those all-or-nothing days on which both they - and Clare in their time - came up so painfully short in the past.

The All-Ireland quarter-final round for defeated finalists in Munster and Leinster has added greatly to the excitement of winning provincial semi-finals and the system is made for a team like Waterford who might freeze on what is - for nearly all of the players - the day of their first provincial final. The knowledge of life after death can - unlike in the spiritual sense - strip away the inhibitions of an inexperienced side.

Unfortunately for Waterford, once the match is slipped off the psychiatrist's chair and onto the pitch, there's less to encourage them.

Take the areas of specific advantage against Tipperary. Despite the chaos that characterised Tipp's defence and the rampant form of Paul Flynn, last year's All-Ireland finalists were still within a score at the end. There is undoubtedly great hurling in Flynn and Ken McGrath but for both of them, the Clare defence - and direct opponents Brian Lohan and Sean McMahon - is a calculus exam five weeks after they distinguished themselves reciting tables.

Similarly there is no doubt that Tony Browne is a class act at centrefield and Peter Queally a willing companion. They shaded it against Cork in the League final but the same Cork pairing was well oppressed by Ollie Baker and Colin Lynch in the second Munster semi-final.

Again, Waterford have an excellent half-back line which provided the platform to beat Tipperary. Stephen Frampton and Fergal Hartley have been stalwarts in this area for a long time and, with Brian Greene on the left, the line is blossoming.

Yet Cork came into Thurles three weeks ago with exactly the same boast. There was little to choose between the half-back lines in the NHL final except that Brian Corcoran was the dominant figure in the match.

One of Cork's most obvious malfunctions against Clare was that the half-backs were so blitzed by Clare's power game in the sector, they struggled to discharge their primary functions let alone set about building platforms.

Clare won't have lost their charge to the extent necessary for Waterford to spring a surprise. Over this season and the previous three, they have never given a poor championship performance (even in '96 which in retrospect they regard as appalling because they lost) in the sense of playing well below their potential.

They're an evolving team with six changes from 1995 - changes which include the acquisition of some tasty forwards in an attack that scored all but three points in a total of 0-21 against Cork.

It's true that Waterford, lively and promising, may well have a good future in this year's All-Ireland and also that they will scale the psychological barrier more nimbly against Clare than against Cork.

But once over that, they'll find a lot more blocking their path.