Tactics order of the day as Clare and Waterford managers play chess

The last time this amount of attention was paid to tactics ahead of play Wellington and Napoleon were glowering at each other across a muddy field in Belgium.

At least that day was decisive. We all arrived in Thurles for yesterday’s league final with antennae finely tuned for ploys and diversions, feints and counter-attacks. Patterns! Systems! Clare versus Waterford!

We were undone, though, by most of yesterday’s fare, which ended with a draw after 90-odd minutes, extra time included, that gave nobody issues with their blood pressure. Usually a last-second free to equalise, landed from long range by Waterford’s Maurice Shanahan, denotes a cliffhanger; this wasn’t even a gentle incline-hanger.