Liam Griffin, the man who parted the Slaney to lead his children into the Promised Lane last year, was as philosophical as Moses might have been when things didn't work out so well this time. No longer the leader of his people, Griffin was, nevertheless, a fatherly figure in the gloomy Wexford dressing room yesterday after the day of garlanded glory last September had withered in front of the revival of Tipperary's new-found confidence. Always generous with his time and his applause he, like everybody else around, was prepared to accept the basic fact that: "the better team won, on the day". Disappointment was surely the strongest of the emotions going around there. "Of course we are disappointed. We felt that we had prepared well and that we would retain our All-Ireland title but sport has a way of turning things upside down and that is what happened today," he said.

Martin Storey, one of the heroes of last year's final and the man who was privileged to lift the McCarthy Cup over his head in the Hogan Stand and make a stirring speech, was almost equally philosophical.

"We didn't play as well as we might have done, as well as we should have done. All credit to Tipperary. We tried to open up their defence and get in behind them but we never really succeeded."

"We were badly in need of a goal at all stages of the match, particularly early in the second half. We got within four points of them on several occasions but we really needed to get within a single score of them and we failed."

Right half Rory McCarthy was not making a big deal about the injury which diminished his game. Neither was Storey. "I don't really know what happened but I am not making excuses," McCarthy said. "He went up in the air and came down awkwardly. It could have been serious but thank heaven it isn't," said Storey.

The silence in the Wexford dressing room was broken by a request for "a bit of hush" for Len Gaynor, the Tipperary manager. "I know you are disappointed lads. We went through that at the end of the Munster final and we know how you feel. "What I want to say about this year is that hurling has been the winner all through. Today we had a fine match. You had hard luck but all through, the game was played in the right spirit. That is what matters. We have had some great hurling this year. You gave a huge lift to the game last year and this year as well. We hope that we will be worthy of the example you have given," he said.