Twenty-three years since Limerick and Clare met in the Gaelic Grounds in the summertime and much has changed.
The 1996 Championship was the last one to be played on a straight knockout basis so, after their one-point loss, All-Ireland champions Clare were out.
Like ‘96, tomorrow’s fixture contains the Liam MacCarthy Cup holders though Limerick will still have something of a safety net even if they lose, albeit fraying rapidly.
“You had one game and that was it,” says Frank Lohan, the former Clare defender who played that day.
“That definitely played on us, that we were better than that. We’d a long wait. I remember we did meet, maybe it was a few weeks after that again, and we were left to think we should be involved later on that year.
“There was more in the team than a first round exit would have led you to believe. I think it did play a part in us progressing further. We came back in and gave it a good go in ‘97 then again.
“You now have four games and if you’re not good enough, you’re not good enough and you lick your wounds and try something else.
“I think it’s a much better format now and I do like the two home and away matches. It’s great.”
In ‘96, Clare had control of the game in the final quarter but were reeled in by a string of Limerick points before Ciaran Carey scored arguably the greatest winner of them all.
“Look, unless you do it on the scoreboard you can talk all you want and Limerick did it,” Lohan reflects. “They got the scores to win it.
“We certainly had chances. We probably should have pulled away from them but didn’t and they stuck at it and got a bit of momentum at the end to win it.
“For him to get a score like that after running pretty much the length of the field, it was a brilliant score.”
Having enjoyed the ultimate success either side of 1996, unlike the Limerick players of that era, memories of that game don’t eat away at Lohan at this stage of his life.
“I was very matter-of-fact. You need to put the effort into preparing for that game and once you lose it and it’s gone, it’s gone.
“I probably took a bit from myself in that I was doing my finals and probably wasn’t at the level I should have been in terms of preparation
“It helped me prepare for the next few years. I wouldn’t be losing sleep over that game or anything like that but definitely for that period you’re saying, yeah, you need to push on now again.”
Despite their 13-point spanking against Tipperary last Sunday, Lohan is confident that, like other teams in this year’s Championship, Clare can turn it around in their next outing and win on the road tomorrow.
“I think it will be a right battle. I think Clare have a good chance but will have to play at the top of their game to get the result.
“There isn’t much of a safety net beyond this game. I’d say both teams would want to get a result now. It’s coming to the very end game for both sides now if they lose.
“I think they’ve a great chance to be honest but they’ll have to play well.”
PREDICTION
Whoever loses this will still have a chance to save their summer next weekend but there’s a strong likelihood that the loser will finish outside the top three in Munster.
Another home loss for Limerick and they’ll have to go to Thurles and take down high-flying Tipperary, while Clare would be very much on the back foot if they lose for the second successive Sunday with Cork then coming to Ennis.
Ultimately, the better spread of quality lies in Limerick and after the Cork reverse, they’re unlikely to be caught cold again so soon.
VERDICT: Limerick
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