Youth and experience proved to be a winning combination as they gradually pulled away to see off their neighbours Kerry

Podge Collins is “not too sure” where Clare are in the pecking order of hurling sides facing into 2020.

Further evidence that the GAA is the process of profound structural change was revealed at this week’s meeting of the Cork County Board.

The league form of Stephen Bennett will ensure he will be targeted by opposing managers when the Munster SHC commences soon, writes Peter McNamara.

You might be wondering when Pauric Mahony, arguably the best in the business with the exception of Patrick Horgan, will return to free-taking duties for Waterford.

A last-second Hannah Matthews strike saw Cork Harlequins leave Grange Road with their hearts broken, and helped move Loreto back to the top of the women’s EY Hockey League.

When we won the All-Ireland with Clare in 1995, the following year’s league kicked off that October. The celebrations obviously took their toll early in the campaign. We lost our first match to Kerry but the bank of fitness we’d built up stood to us as October segued into November. We went up to Birr and put on an exhibition against Offaly in our last match before the winter-break.

Every year, the confirmed Fitzgibbon Cup panels read more and more like a who’s who of the inter-county game. Hurling is as much a student’s game these days as a young man’s one. So among our ones to watch in this year’s competition (which begins Sunday) there will be familiar names but to a man, they have points to prove.

There’s silverware on offer tomorrow in the Gaelic Grounds, when Clare and Tipperary face off in the final of the Co-Op Superstores Munster senior hurling league (2pm).

Just shy of 20 minutes in Seamus Flanagan’s company is enough to understand the flame still burns in Limerick. The bonfires that heralded last August’s All-Ireland triumph have long since been extinguished but within these young men there remains a fury.

Waterford hurling manager Paraic Fanning has reiterated his preference for the county’s championship games to be played at home this summer.

Tipperary attacker Seamus Callanan says he and his teammates are keen to make up for last season’s disappointing championship.

Back in August, Podge Collins found himself marking Tony Kelly for a brief period when Cratloe played Ballyea in the Clare championship.

Limerick hurling manager John Kiely revealed last night that he too has received abusive anonymous letters, echoing the words of outgoing Kerry manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice.

Shane Dowling says the GAA is not putting players first as Limerick face up to being without over a third of their panel because of club commitments and sharing half of the squad with college teams in the coming weeks.

Kerry 1-23 ... Cork 1-13: A historic day in the world of Kerry hurling as they defeated a Cork team for the time in a competitive senior fixture since 1891 — en route to the Kingdom’s first and only All-Ireland title.

Munster SHL final

Gerry O’Connor says Clare must make scoring chances count in Championship 2018.

Sunday’s Munster SHC semi-final against Limerick is the game Clare have “targeted all year”, says Banner co-manager Gerry O’Connor.

Waterford hurling manager Derek McGrath was surprised by the debate he sparked a few weeks ago about intercounty management.

Cork senior hurling selector Pat Hartnett says league champions Clare, who roll into Páirc Uí Rinn tonight for the NHL Division 1A opener against the home side, represent “a tall order” for a youthful Rebel team.

It's another busy Sunday of pre-season football and hurling action.

Louth have booked their place in the semi-finals of the O'Byrne Cup after they beat Carlow by 3-14 to 2-12 in Dowdallshill.

Limerick senior hurling manager John Kiely has described James Ryan’s decision to prolong his inter-county career as a major boost to the Shannonsiders.

Davy Fitzgerald has admitted that his Clare hurlers may have peaked too early during this year’s Allianz National Hurling League campaign.

Cork Church of Ireland and UCC marched into round two of the men’s Irish Senior Cup but the alarming decline in Cork Harlequins’ fortunes continues.

The fixture rows dogging Irish hockey have made their way to Munster after Ireland vice-captain Cliodhna Sargent waded into the debate. 

Ireland’s men made a huge statement as they began their Olympic qualification campaign with an 8-0 rout of Chile at the World League 2 in San Diego.

Saturday will likely be remembered as the day Munster’s hopes of producing an Irish Hockey League finalist died, with all four teams suffering defeat.

Leeside again proved a happy hunting ground for Banbridge as they dismantled Cork Church of Ireland 4-1 at Garryduff on Saturday.

The demise of Cork Harlequins as a national force was ruthlessly exposed by Banbridge on Saturday, as they claimed a facile 8-0 Irish Senior Cup first round win at Farmer’s Cross.

Cork Harlequins will delve into the depths of their reserves as they bid to overcome the odds at this weekend’s EuroHockey Club Champions Trophy in Vienna.

They say you don’t win trophies at Christmas but you do in Munster hockey — and Cork C of I will be hoping a third straight Peard Cup success is the start of bigger and better things to come for them.