Ger Loughnane was lit up. Munster finals illuminate him splendidly. Heart, soul and passion: the things he likes to see. A tumultuous crowd, a Clare victory speech: things he likes to hear.

All this time and the intensity has yet to wane.

"We gave it absolutely everything," he said. "That has been the hallmark over the last few years. When we go out we give it everything, with method as well, great method in our play. It's a day we are really proud of the lads."

On the days when they are interested, Clare can still switch it on. Ferocious concentration and elemental physicality blending to overwhelm teams. They pick them that way.

"I think our forward line had a bit more physical power than it did last Sunday. As well as that, they were prepared to get involved a bit more than they were last Sunday. This week was completely different. I have never been so tense myself, even playing or going to an All-Ireland. There was just a single-mindedness. "The whole team had one mind that we were going to battle. That was the cause of the row at the start with everyone so keyed up. It settled down to good hurling after that. I know a big deal will be made out of it when it's shown and there will be all kind of nutters ringing in the radio stations, but once the thing was over, it settled down into a tremendous game, a Munster final that will be remembered.

"If we had won last Sunday the cup would have been thrown in the back of the bus and that would have been it. Today was different. Today was everything. Everything was at stake today. We had been so disappointed last week. Today we had made up our minds to give it our level best and then a bit more."

Jamesie O'Connor had first-hand experience of the skirmishes and bad blood which threatened to drown the game early on. He ended up with a bit of broken ash in his hands as the tempest broke.

"Conditions were very tricky and slippy. There was lots of stuff going on off the ball before the game started, to say the least of it. I was getting a bit of niggling and I turned and shoved the hurley in to him and the hurley unfortunately broke."

Not long afterwards, with Brian Lohan and Michael White spectating, the game settled down to something a little more edifying. It turned on the goal which Conor Clancy deflected to the net.

"They were always going to struggle to pull it back after the goal," O'Connor said. "Conditions were tricky. Once the ball went behind it was very hard to turn and it affected both teams, but we have the bit more experience.

"Then having Brian sent off, I mean, Jesus, how could you possibly face Brian Lohan after the game. That was maybe the rallying cry at half-time - `We won't let Lohan down'. We picked it up today. We came out to win a Munster final the last day, but okay, maybe we weren't as up for it as we should have been. "Maybe we were lucky to get the second chance. A Munster final is still something huge to us, though. At least now we have something tangible from the season no matter what happens. Having said that it's good also to have the few weeks to rest up."

Anthony Daly has a bulging portfolio of victory speeches which he might anthologise some day. Yesterday he issued another rousing oration, shook the cup and stirred the crowd. No jaded ennui just yet.

"Once we got the goal it gave us breathing space and that was vital," he said. "It wasn't apparent, though, at the time. We weren't able to relax till Ollie asked the ref how long was left and he said three minutes and we were 12 points up. They seemed to be hurling okay. Once we went six ahead, there was a sense of relief. The ante was up today."

In the Waterford dressing-room, the air was dank with apprehension. Next week in Croke Park they face their third intense game in as many weeks. The journey back to the limelight is arduous and incident-filled. Gerald McCarthy was letting the depression run off, purging the system.

"It was a tough, hard, physical game," he said. "The conditions dictated that. The replay coming after a tough drawn game, it was always going to be difficult. What happened at the start we'd all wish it didn't happen. There is nothing we can do about it now. It settled down well after that.

"From the goal they got, though, that's where our problems became paramount. It's going to be tough having to play again, three games in three weeks. Look at Tipp last year. It's a possibility. Why not?"

Why not? The essence of championship romance.