Kerry and Cork will contest the Munster MFC decider on June 22 after Clare failed to spring the necessary upset in Tralee yesterday evening.

Late points from Conner Hegarty, Dylan Downes and Keith Smyth saw Clare over the line in a tight and tense curtain raiser in Walsh Park that was level seven times.

When the conversation turns to his preferred championship structure, Clare football selector Enda Coughlan quickly shows himself to be at one with the man who drafted him into the county’s backroom team little over a year after he’d hung up his boots.

Clare’s Munster and All-Ireland hurling ambitions have been significantly compromised by the loss of a trio of players for what appears to be the entirety of the championship season.

Munster minor football finalists in the last two seasons, Clare began their 2019 campaign with a comfortable 14-point win over Limerick in Newcastle West.

Shane O’Donnell has rejoined the Clare senior hurling panel following his return from Harvard University last week.

For Munster football, a chastening weekend lies in store. Irrespective of what materialises at the Athletic Grounds and Semple Stadium tomorrow afternoon, two from Clare, Cork, and Tipperary will suffer relegation to Division 3.

Over half a century ago Harold MacMillan reduced all of politics to those four words. Even now it’ll have to do as a description of Galway-Clare on Saturday evening.

The talking points from this weekend’s GAA action. 

The pressure is off, David Reidy declared.

The Tipperary team to face Wexford in tomorrow’s Allianz Hurling League shows five changes from the side which overcame Waterford the weekend before last.

Clare 4-17 Cork 0-18: The Munster Council have brought forward the Munster SHL final between Clare and Limerick by one week to avoid the counties meeting on successive weekends.

The Cork-Limerick Munster SHC second round game on June 2 is set to be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Following their third round qualifier loss to Mayo in July, the Cratloe man said he'd be taking his time before committing to a fifth year in charge of the Banner.

The eternal tension arises between tradition and innovation. What we’ve always done, what we need to do now, and the trouble encountered in moving from one of those positions to the other.

Kerry ... 1-17, Clare ... 2-8: Kerry will play Waterford in the Munster U21 football semi-final next Wednesday after this less than convincing quarter-final win over Clare, reports Eoghan Cormican from Austin Stack Park.

The natural next step for this Waterford group now is to win a Munster title and they are ready to take that step this weekend, writes Anthony Daly.

Captain Bryan Sheehan starts at right half-forward as one of two changes to the Kerry side for Sunday’s Allianz FL Division 1 final against Dublin at Croke Park (throw-in 3.30pm).

Clare GAA chiefs are investigating how a gate at Cusack Park became dislodged within feet of a child’s buggy at the weekend.

Damien Cahalane on hurling tactics and dealing with the online critics...

Tipperary 0-15 Clare 0-07: Tommy Toomey conceded his Tipperary U21 footballers will have to improve considerably to shock Cork in the EirGrid provincial decider.

First off the bat, Podge Collins wants to plead his innocence. He’d nothing to do with either of the Cratloe motions going forward to Congress next Saturday. 

TESCO HOMEGROWN ALL-IRELAND LADIES’ SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL:

Clare 2-20 Wexford 3-11

History awaits the Clare team facing Wexford in this evening’s U-21 All-Ireland final in Thurles as the Banner county look to join a select band of counties to have landed three successive titles.

Clare 1-28 Cork 1-13

Wexford 2-25 Clare 2-22 (after extra-time)

Cork 2-23 Clare 2-18

Kilkenny 1-15 Clare 0-04

Tipperary 2-24 Clare 2-17

Brendan Bugler believes the Tipperary players are “very, very jealous” of what Clare achieved in winning last year’s All-Ireland title.

Tipperary 2-22 Clare 0-09

A director of a Kerry bus firm was yesterday convicted in relation to an oil spill that was inadvertently a major factor in All-Ireland winners Clare’s first senior hurling win of the year over Cork.

Clare's All-Ireland winning manager Davy Fitzgerald has spoken about the brains behind the game-plan which ultimately led to the Banner men lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup yesterday.

If Carlsberg did All-Ireland hurling finals it would be hard for them to top yesterday's experience for Shane O'Donnell, the Clare teenager who scored 3-3 in the Banner men's final replay win over Cork.

The support of Limerick and Waterford were key factors in swinging the vote in favour of the Munster SFC returning to a seeded draw for 2014.

GAA President Liam O’Neill has told Cork and Clare that there’ll be no change to the throw-in time for the All-Ireland hurling final replay.

Clare 1-22 Limerick 0-18

I was expecting a tactical battle from the throw-in last Sunday and I was surprised when it failed to materialise. I will be astonished if Clare and Limerick isn’t a tactical engagement.