Munster SHC Quarter-final: No better place to begin the Munster championship than Thurles. No better billing than Tipp in Thurles. We tiptoed into town respectfully. For weeks there were rumours of Tipp's demise. Babs Keating came out into the corridor afterwards in his tanned pelt to tell us the rumours had been exaggerated.

When weighing yesterday's prospects against Limerick it was hard not to consider that here on their home patch Tipp had been run through a mangle by Kilkenny in the league semi-final.

"Cork and Galway didn't get to the league semi-final, there was no aspersions cast on them," said Babs. "We were out in front of the public. We didn't cry though. We got out and did our business."

So they did, although early on when Limerick rammed two goals into the Tipperary net it looked as if Babs's boys wouldn't be opening for business at all. The prophets of doom rubbed their hands. Babs just shrugged.

"We had experienced that in the league and prepared for it. John Leahy, Tom Barry and myself. Nothing happens in championship hurling that we haven't experienced. It's our job to cope, to prepare the lads along those lines. We have good lads helping us out. And the support we have. This is a hurling county."

If there had been doubt over what fettle Tipp were in there was worry too that Babs, a superstar in the realm of quote giving, would continue his self-imposed silence. Back on the stage with his voice back, however, he warmed to his themes like a ward boss giving the dope to the press boys.

The future, Babs?

"Golf tomorrow. We'll worry about the next round when it comes."

One word about Eoin Kelly?

"Why not two. Or three. Or four. Great player."

He's more than that?

"Wait till the year is over."

Fourteen points from Eoin. Not so much from the other forwards?

"No. Obviously not so much from the other forwards but we'll work on that."

The mood in Tipperary had been more downbeat than for some time. Babs pointed to a successful golf classic run last week as evidence of some buoyancy. Cummins felt the doubt though.

"Everything we do is geared for championship. We've been searching about a bit. Hard work. No matter how low things have got we have a good bunch who don't want to let the Tipp jersey down. It was a bit downbeat but we have to perform for people to get excited and follow us."

A hundred paces to the far end of the corridor. Through the door and into the far spectrum of emotion.

Limerick players are mostly gone and what few remain lift their heads and gaze at the interlopers as if people in clowns' costumes had intruded at a wake. TJ Ryan offers the friendliest face.

"They pulled away from us. Good luck. That's the way it happens, isn't it? That was our worst performance of the last few years."

The misery and inexplicability of it was written all over TJ's face. A long unbeaten run of games through to the league final had ratcheted their expectations notch by notch. In Thurles yesterday they were gift-wrapped a perfect start. They fell flat.

"It's hard to explain. We're better than that but at the end of the day you get judged on championship performances. We have to take it on the chin. The late goal (disallowed for square ball) I couldn't see. It would have been super to get a draw but we didn't deserve it.

"After the first few minutes they were coming at us in droves. They had a lot of wides. You get Eoin Kelly in the full-forward line and he's getting a supply of ball he's going to score a lot."

Eoin Kelly scored a lot. Limerick had nobody who could do the same for them. That's was TJ's afternoon in a nutshell.

It's tough sometimes being a Limerick hurler. All the afternoons when you go home and wonder if you can find it in yourself to pick up again. He shook his head and wondered the same himself.

"We came here with good expectations. It's very disappointing. We'll take a week off and see what happens."

The championship is up and running. Hearts have been broken already.