Kilkenny ... 2-22 Clare ... 1-13: There is still no escaping the truth, and now few are left to deny it. The best hurling team in the country continues to get better. Spirit-breaking, heart-stopping Kilkenny.
On a day sent straight from the heavens the divide between the champions and those wanting to conquer was made a little wider.
There were 12,000 in Nowlan Park to witness the repeat of last year's All-Ireland final, and in the end the verdict was even more decisive.
A few bare facts convey the difference. Clare started like a landslide and were six points up after 20 minutes. Kilkenny spread their guard and turned the half a point ahead - their first advantage of the game. Then they closed out the second half with 1-13 to Clare's 0-5, and so the sun set peacefully behind Nowlan Park.
Behind that total team dominance of the second half lay some cracking individual displays. Henry Shefflin, back from a major dose of flu, hit 1-11 and has rarely looked so good. Charlie Carter deserves equal billing, not just for his 1-1 tally, but as the tireless and complete play-maker who epitomised his embrace of the captain's role. And this in his first league game this season.
Martin Comerford and Eddie Brennan were both in the thick of it from the start, and Brennan had Davy Fitzgerald fully stretched after 10 minutes to stop a certain goal.
Tommy Walsh had yet another groundbreaking game at midfield, and farther back - and particularly in the second half - Peter Barry and Noel Hickey hardly put a foot wrong.
In contrast, newcomer Willie O'Dwyer had a hard time settling and didn't see any ball in the half-forward line. On the other wing Stephen Grehan did plenty of running without much reward. So in came Jimmy Coogan and John Hoyne, and Kilkenny's class was simply made sharper.
"Yeah, I'm happy with the display," said manager Brian Cody. "There was a good work-rate out there, and a good spirit in the team, and when we have that we are giving ourselves a good chance of winning games."
Cody had been busy on the sideline for much of the first half. Tony Carmody and Barry Murphy were both showing well for Clare, and after eight minutes Carmody sent a breaking ball straight to the net to put them 1-2 to 0-1 in front.
From then until the 20-minute mark Clare did look the more dangerous. Colin Lynch and James O'Connor saw plenty of ball at midfield and while Kilkenny posted a fair few wides, Clare went 1-6 to 0-3 in front.
If there was a turning point for Kilkenny it was Shefflin's goal, coming on 22 minutes. He caught a free out from James McGarry and took off running, stopping only when the ball had landed in the Clare net.
"Once Henry got his goal, we settled quite a bit," said Cody. "But I felt we were creating chances, even goal chances. And a lot of our scores were finished off after some good passing movements.
"But at half-time you would have been still wondering which team to put your money on. We pulled away in the end, but we know this is still only the month of March. It's July and August when the big questions will have to be answered. So we're just pushing on towards that."
Yet the hurling Kilkenny produced in the second half yesterday would surely reign as strong in the heights of summer. Shefflin put every chance he got over the bar, and Coogan's appearance was quickly marked with two majestic points. And the sharper the angle the better he likes them.
And who better than Carter to kill off the game? With 12 minutes still to play he followed in a Comerford shot and swept the ball to the net. Fitzgerald responded by throwing his own stick into the net after it, a clear acknowledgement of Kilkenny's superiority.
For Clare manager Cyril Lyons the result was like two steps back. "It wasn't so much a setback," he said, "as an eye-opener.
"I mean, I think Kilkenny are moving further ahead. They showed what they're capable of last year, and they seem more than keen to maintain that."
But can anyone close the gap? "Well if you don't play well you certainly don't give yourself a chance. To beat Kilkenny you need everybody playing well. But we didn't have that today."
Clare, though, will feel that better performances can come. Brian Lohan didn't always keep his cool head. Niall Gilligan has still to deliver a full 70 minutes. Gerry Quinn was low-key.
The problem was that none of the substitutes could compensate.
The talk now is that maybe the second best team in Ireland is on the Kilkenny bench.
"No, sure that's fantasy stuff," warned Cody. "They were saying that two years ago as well. The truth is that there is still very little between the top four or five teams in the country.
"Our panel is quite strong. I'd still like to make it a little stronger, and there are still players out there who have the potential to come in and play for us. And this panel is always flexible, and there will always be places up for grabs."
Yesterday, that scary thought was a mere aftershock.
KILKENNY: J McGarry; M Kavanagh, N Hickey, P Larkin; R Mullally (0-1, free), P Barry, JJ Delaney; T Walsh, D Lyng (0-1); S Grehan, H Shefflin (1-11, 8 frees, 65), W O'Dwyer; C Carter (1-1), M Comerford (0-3), E Brennan (0-2). Subs: W Bourke for Larkin (half time), J Hoyne for Grehan, J Coogan (0-3) for O'Dwyer (both 49 mins).
CLARE: D Fitzgerald; C Harrison, B Lohan, F Lohan; C Plunkett, S McMahon (0-2, 65s), G Quinn; C Lynch (0-1), J O'Connor; T Griffin (0-1), F Lynch (0-1), A Markham; N Gilligan (0-6, 5 frees), T Carmody (1-1), B Murphy (0-1); Subs: R O'Looney for Harrison (half time), D O'Connell for Griffin (53 mins), D Hoey for Quinn (55 mins).
Referee: P Ahearne (Carlow).
