After the sparkle and exuberance of last week's Cork-Limerick encounter, yesterday's Guinness Munster hurling semi-final was dark and minimalist. Tipperary did enough to edge out Clare in a grinding, hard-hitting match. They just about deserved this reprise of their National League final victory but the result could have gone either way or - as looked inevitable with the clock running down - ended in a draw.
Clare defended well and made Tipperary's well-regarded forwards look less ethereal than they had appeared in the spring. But the critical questions raised beforehand about Tipperary's two teenage corner forwards making their full debuts were largely answered in the affirmative.
Eoin Kelly showed extraordinary composure in the crucible of such an intense match and although not on the same level, Lar Corbett didn't go flat on his big day either. It was Kelly, though, who kept his head with flawless free-taking and an icy intelligence. In one incident in the 19th minute, he rode two ferocious hits and still had the presence of mind to maintain a movement which ended in a point for Eddie Enright.
But it was at the far end of the pitch that the day was won. Clare's attack fulfilled all the direst misgivings about its similarity to last year's unsuccessful unit. David Forde delivered for Clare with four well-taken points and James O'Connor sniped determinedly along the half line, clipping three points from play. Elsewhere was deep disappointment for the team and ultimately the two functioning forwards couldn't carry their misfiring colleagues.
Yet that shouldn't detract from the brilliance of Tipperary's defence. Philip Maher exhibited total mastery. His task at full back was to contain Clare's one blue-chip inside forward, Niall Gilligan, and the clash had been identified as critical. It turned out to be a disaster for the Sixmilebridge man who also tried the corner but to no greater effect. In the end he was replaced.
Maher was, however, exceptional, winning ball and clearing, alert to any danger and a pillar of the overall effort. Paul Ormonde deserved better than to be judged purely on Forde's haul. The corner back did a great sweeping job and tidied up across the line on numerous occasions.
One of the most impressive aspects of this victory was that Tipp achieved it in alien territory. A tight, low-scoring match was never going to be their preferred scenario but they managed. In the second half, they suffered what might have been a major depressant when John Leahy had to be stretchered off with a serious looking knee injury.
In the recommended coup de theatre, Nicky English left Leahy's introduction until five minutes after the interval and the Tipperary crowd went berserk as soon as he started his warm-up. Within a minute of his introduction he had nearly scored with a powerful run through the middle but as the ball was being cleared, he fell awkwardly and did the damage.
Tipperary's response was also indicative of their greater strength on the bench. Eugene O'Neill came in at corner forward and they got on with it despite the possible drain on morale.
Another substitution some minutes later was more significant. David Kennedy, back from injury, came in at centre back with Eamonn Corcoran, who had proved a capable deputy, switching to his usual wing position.
Tipperary also displayed more creativity in attack despite the claustrophobic attentions of the Clare defence. Seanie McMahon was marvellous at centre back, returning for his first full match this year. He commanded the centre despite Enright's doggedness - which yielded two points - and his long-range dead-ball striking was as effective as ever.
He had the added burden of starting with two debutant wing backs. David Hoey did well on Brian O'Meara until the end when O'Meara's height disadvantage began to tell under some dropping ball. On the other wing, Gerry Quinn was lucky to still be on the pitch a couple of minutes into the match after getting involved in a pre-throw-in feud with Mark O'Leary.
This culminated in Quinn pulling across O'Leary. Little over a minute into the match, there was another altercation that ended with O'Leary's hand cut. On the advice of linesman Pat Aherne, referee Dickie Murphy booked Quinn and - to add insult to injury - the bleeding O'Leary.
At that stage the match threatened to become nasty but calmed down even if it remained tense and unforgiving. As if in atonement, Murphy handed out some soft frees to Tipperary over the 70 minutes - to the evident irritation of Clare.
Scoring was slow with neither side pulling away. During the whole match, there were more than two points between the sides for only less than two minutes. Goal chances were few and far between. Colin Lynch had a confident go at goal from distance in the 25th minute and Brendan Cummins produced the only big save required of him.
Four minutes later, Eoin Kelly flashed at a ball breaking from Enright and was narrowly wide. Two minutes from the interval, Declan Ryan - subdued by Brian Lohan until the very end - got through the defence but Frank Lohan saved the day.
Clare started the second half well but by the final quarter Tipperary had edged in front through Kelly's painstaking frees and although there was never anything in it on the scoreboard, the sense that they were likely winners persisted until it was vindicated by Murphy's final whistle.
