Clare’s Sam Slater is hoping to make a name for himself at the 2017 IMMAF World Championships in Bahrain next month as he seeks to kickstart his career in MMA.

John Fogarty examines three managers who will need to put a high priority on league results...

He boldly drove where no car drove before and in doing so, unwittingly shifted the limelight from Skellig Michael to An Blascaod Mór.

Simply qualifying for the Olympics isn’t enough for Clare swimmer Chris Bryan. A PhD student in sport psychology, he is setting his sights on an Olympic medal.

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin

The Cats have two All-Irelands in a row and the momentum is building nicely. And, this could well be the team to win the historic five-in-a-row, according to Henry Shefflin.

In 2010 Clarecastle GAA Club lost another promising young hurler to emigration. But Co Clare’s loss was Germany’s gain as Dean Power ended up in Munich as one of the stars of the city’s renowned Bavarian State Opera.

By Peter O'Dwyer

The Lahinch-based thrillseeker recently rode a notorious swell off Mexico. But he honed his craft here, says Jonathan de Burca Butler

When Fr Harry Bohan was approached about writing a book, he agreed on one condition: that there’d be some value to the exercise, rather than sketching one man’s vanity.

A year ago it was all up in the air.

League finalists Kilkenny and Tipperary were the favourites to contest this year’s All-Ireland final, even if the statistics over the past 20 years were against league final opponents staying the pace to September.

Former Kilkenny star Eddie Brennan believes referees should be allowed to use video evidence to help make important decisions such as sendings-off.

How many times must it be said? Managers can win matches, but they can also lose them.

What a weekend of sport!

Clare’s firepower.

Coveted like a neighbour's wife, the Michael Moynihan End of Hurling Season Awards are back for 2012.

It’s time logic began to enter the thinking of the GAA. We have two huge hurling games tomorrow but at venues 50 miles apart.

A bright start and a driving finish ensured Tipperary took the Waterford Crystal Cup home with them from Sixmilebridge yesterday, beating Clare by six points in the end thanks to their greater accuracy.

WHAT a difference a week makes.

AS the Davy Fitzgerald managerial era in Waterford officially drew to a close last night, delegates at a meeting of the county board decided the job of finding his successor as county senior hurling boss will commence as early as tomorrow.

A syndicate of 10 are behind Colm Murphy’s Raise the Beat in today’s Bumper, writes COLM GREAVES

WATERFORD may find themselves odds-on favourites to come away with the spoils against Clare next Monday but John Mullane believes the game is “set up” for Ger O’Loughlin’s troops.

BETTER for sponsor extraordinaire Martin Donnelly that he attended the other inter-provincial football semi-final in Crossmaglen.

Most of us were just grateful to witness a contest rather than a crucifixion – a decade of Kilkenny dominance will do that to your expectations on Leinster hurling final day – but not Anthony Daly.

A YOUNG Clareman, John McGovern, yesterday began a six-year jail sentence for the manslaughter of Michael Doherty who, at 14 years of age, was little more than a child when he was stabbed to death outside a chip shop on a June evening in 2007.

Davy Fitzgerald has been appointed for another two-year term as manager of the Waterford hurlers.

WATERFORD hurling stars Dan Shanahan and Clinton Hennessy spoke yesterday of their huge disappointment in the wake of Sunday’s shattering defeat by Kilkenny in the All-Ireland SHC final.

THE late president Dr Patrick Hillery was praised from across the political spectrum as the Dáil honoured his memory.

THERE is no getting away from this miserable weather but at least we have something we can look forward to with a bit of hope, with a bit of light.

REIGNING European indoor 400m champion, David Gillick, will fly out to Lanzarote today for some warm weather training with his new coach, Nick Dakin.

Seemingly from nowhere, Martin Brassil has emerged as one of this country’s rising training talents over the past two years. But, as Declan Colley discovered, the quietly spoken Curragh handler prefers to let his charges do the talking for him.

IN A welcome change, there was not an awful lot to disagree with in the recent All-Star hurling selection.

SEAMUS POWER bids to win the National senior inter-counties cross-country title for a sensational 10th time at St Augustine’s College, Dungarvan, on Sunday.

CENTENARY celebrations in Patrickswell yesterday, the 100th running of coursing’s Irish Cup at Limerick Racecourse, and boy, did you need your thermals!

CLARE hurling coach Anthony Daly claimed last night that attempts have been made to undermine the Banner’s senior set-up, but insisted these “undercurrents” would not succeed.

FOUR men were killed in road accidents yesterday, bringing to 24 the number killed in the first four weeks of this year.

A MASTERSTROKE. What else could you call it? This morning Cork hurling fans who awake foaming with indignation at certain omissions from the 2005 Allstars should take a minute to bless the selection committee.

ANTHONY FOLEY powered himself into contention for a Lions tour trip to New Zealand following an amazing performance in Munster’s Heineken Cup victory over Ospreys at on Saturday.

SEAMUS POWER already has a challenge in his bid to stretch his national inter-counties cross-country championship record to 10 straight wins.

Irish wheelchair athlete Patrice Dockery has been reinstated in the field for tomorrow night's Paralympic T54 5000m final in Athens, following a meeting of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

SÉAMUS POWER took the national Inter-counties Cross-Country Championships to a new level in Belvedere, Mullingar, yesterday, when he once again battled his way through the pain barrier to win the title for an amazing ninth successive time.