Given my Clare loyalty and my Limerick connections to their underage Academy, I stole into Thurles yesterday like a thief in the night; head down, baseball cap pulled tightly down over my eyes, plain clothes, biro and notepad in my hand.

Clare goalkeeper Andy Fahy will retain the number one jersey for Sunday’s NHL relegation play-off final against Dublin in Cusack Park.

Clare boss Davy Fitzgerald admitted that Ger Loughnane’s scathing post-Leinster final criticism of Galway did his team no favours yesterday.