Christy O'Connor: This was a throwback afternoon, a day of days

15 May 2022; David Reidy of Limerick in action against Cathal Malone of Clare during the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 4 match between Clare and Limerick at Cusack Park in Ennis, Clare. Photo by John Sheridan/Sportsfile

Nobody could argue with the result but the final whistle still felt like a cheat, an imposter, anti-climactic. It confirmed a Munster final meeting next month, but the Clare-Limerick relationship is never soothed or pacified by equality or shared bragging rights – the only bottom line has always been about getting one over the other crowd.

Cusack Park had rattled like a boiling tin from the moment the teams entered the field so Colm Lyons' outstretched arms was like turning off the gas. The tin cooled and was suddenly simmering but a draw still didn’t quench the fire burning deep inside everyone on the pitch and around the ground. Once the heat cooled, everyone basked in the warm afterglow of such epic entertainment.