LAR CORBETT stood in the teeming tunnel under the Mackay Stand in Limerick and reflected on the years since Tipperary had last tasted Munster success. Seven years is a long time for a county which demands as much from itself as Tipperary does.

The waiting ended and the demands increased.

"I suppose it has been a while, but this year has gone well for us. It is very important in any sport to get on a winning roll. And we are doing that now. You win games and it gives you confidence. We go into the All-Ireland series now with a good run under our belts."

The seven years without an assault on the podium have bred a little caution into Tipperary, though, and Corbett is old enough to remember the character of the county's relationship with Clare in the 1990s.

"We got a good start and it was looking good, but we knew that Clare were always going to come back. They are a big, physical, tough team. John O'Brien's goal set them back again though."

O'Brien - one of the players not, shall we say, exalted in the Babs era - was diplomatic about the change in fortune he experienced this year. His man-of- the-match bauble was fitting recognition of the influence which his tally of 1-4 had on the game.

"This year everything has been perfect and everybody is pulling together. It is very competitive down in Tipp as a panel, with all the games we have played there have been changes afterwards. You don't take anything for granted. There were a lot of changes today from the Cork game and there will be changes before the next day."

In other words, there won't be much caressing and fondling of the man-of-the-match award. It's for the attic and another time.

Eoin Kelly, another solider who has seen many campaigns, echoed the caution which larded most responses to Tipp's win.

"We are taking every game as it comes. We don't have to go through the qualifiers. We will enjoy tonight and tomorrow, and then sit back and think of where we have to improve, because we will have to improve if we are to go further."

You wonder sometimes how a manager influences the minds of a panel of players, but when you talk to Liam Sheedy you see where the caution comes from. Asked if the fact that all but two of Tipp's scores came from play wasn't a very pleasing sign, Sheedy frowned.

"It's impressive maybe if you are talking about scores coming from play, but then again maybe your forwards should be winning more frees than two in scoring positions. We had only one scoreable free in each half."

But this was a man struggling to hide his contentment. When you have the passion for the blue and gold which Sheedy has, to travel this deep into your maiden managerial season unbeaten is a distinct pleasure.

"It didn't feel easy at all today. The day you get something easy against Clare, well . . .

"We got that cushion at 14-6, but in fairness it was 50-50 in the first half. They had 10 wides and that was a period in the match when we could have been under serious pressure.

"They were chances that they would normally put over. Full credit to Clare, they came right back at us without scoring a goal. They were hunting in packs driving into it.

"John's goal was a turning point. Then we got another point. Here we were back up nine points after Clare doing all the hurling."

That's the sign of champions, that ability to swat a team away when the chance appears no matter how fleeting it might be. And another restored hero of the county, Brendan Cummins, had his part with a couple of saves which kept the Clare hordes at bay.

"Brendan made a great save late. Clare had chances.

"We have work to do. That's how it is, you don't go into a Munster final expecting it will all go your way. But we are happy to get out with the win. We scored 1-11 in the first half. Not bad. There is a good unity there and the lads work hard. Overall it is nice to get the win."

Sheedy is a man for whom the glass is always half-empty. Clare's fightback haunted him more perhaps than Tipp's excellence pleased him.

Outside in the tunnel again Mike McNamara, who brought Clare this far, surprising many people, was taking it on the chin and looking forward.

"We are disappointed, of course. We had a good summer until now. We came here hoping to win but it didn't work out that day. We have the qualifiers to go into now and to plan for. We will pick ourselves up. I would have no fears at all for the future of Clare hurling."

And that was it, another chapter of lore done with. Tipperary back on top.