The corridor is full of noises and few of them are complimentary to match referee Pat Aherne.

Waterford's discontent at failing to win a match they started so devastatingly has rendered team and management silent.

But county chairman Paddy Joe Ryan wants to make a point.

"There are three great referees in Munster, Pat O'Connor, Willie Barrett and Seán McMahon, and they're not getting any matches. Hurling matches should be refereed by referees from hurling counties."

This not-so-oblique reference to Ahern's Carlow provenance also takes in a swipe at Aodán MacSuibhne, the Dublin referee who officiated at Clare-Tipperary a few weeks previously. It's not an isolated complaint.

Limerick captain Mark Foley is mightily relieved that his young side came through a baptism of fire unscathed, but he too is unhappy with the influence of referees from outside Munster.

"I'll leave it up to ye lads, but you had a couple of weeks ago a Dublin referee refereeing a Munster championship, and there today a Carlow referee refereeing a Munster championship. In fairness, it's very hard for them to understand what goes on because they're not down here for the last 20 or 30 years.

"You have to feel for Waterford as well. Both sides took the brunt of poor decisions and there were a couple of bookings for very basic getting-to-know-each-other stuff. Players accept that and to get a yellow card is very disappointing.

"It's not against the referees themselves, but it's very hard for them to come down here and we got a couple of bad decisions ourselves last year against Cork. It's very hard when both teams prepare so hard and so long for a match for the discussion afterwards to be about the referee.

"Maybe we should be more professional and appoint the right people for the job."

In the same dressing-room there is a certain humanity in the response of Limerick veteran Steve McDonagh.

"It's an awful awkward job. I wouldn't want to be a referee. I think one of the good things was that nobody lost the game. There can be another day. Let them sort it out the next day. They've tough jobs and there's not an abundance of young fellas coming through and refereeing. They're in scarce supply."

On the less contentious topic of having survived the match, Foley is upbeat.

"Even though there were a lot of mistakes and a lot of debatable decisions I don't think either team deserved to lose.

"Andrew Shaughnessy got a goal that came at a great time and we were very happy to be going in only a point down after a first half when we were totally outplayed."