Kiely is looking towards the end of January as much as next weekend’s Munster League final against Cork.

Gavin Cooney hit two goals for the Banner.

They were clinging on by their fingertips at the finish in Portlaoise but Meath are through to the Super 8s for the first time after edging an epic Round 4 qualifier.

Not for the first time in Clare jerseys, David Tubridy and Gary Brennan rose to the occasion with huge displays to propel their team to victory in Mullingar and to within touching distance of the Super 8s.

Cian Lynch, Declan Hannon, Gearoid Hegarty, and Graeme Mulcahy have been restored to the Limerick team for tomorrow’s Munster hurling final.

Clare fended off a strong Leitrim resurgence in the second-half as Colm Collins’s side worked their way into Round 3 of the qualifiers with a convincing win over Leinster at Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada.

Cork claimed their first LGFA All-Ireland U14 Platinum title since 2013 at the expense of Galway in Banagher county Offaly this afternoon.

Clare secured safe passage to a fifth Munster semi-final meeting with Kerry in six years, but what they produced in this desperately poor provincial quarter-final fixture won’t be anywhere near sufficient to even remotely trouble Kerry.

A 70th minute Keelan Sexton goal preserved Clare’s Division 2 status and, in the process, condemned both Cork and Tipperary to Division 3 football next spring.

Aaron Gillane pointed a free in the fifth minute of injury-time to snatch a draw for All-Ireland champions Limerick against the only team to beat them in last year’s championship.

Aaron Gillane was the hero as Mary Immaculate College booked their place in this year’s Fitzgibbon Cup final when they held off the NUIG challenge at Cusack Park in Ennis..

Mary I will meet NUIG Galway for a place in the Fitzgibbon Cup decider after this comfortable quarter-final victory over CIT.

Colm Collins blamed a frozen pitch in Páirc Esler for the horrific ankle injury sustained by Dermot Coughlan, while Kieran McGeeney was unhappy three key decisions went against Armagh in an action-packed Division Two draw in Newry.

Clare 1-19 Offaly 2-14

Clare needed every one of their 20 scores to edge out a valiant Offaly side that refused to give in.

Limerick U21 manager Pat Donnelly was correct to say this performance won’t be sufficient to overcome Tipperary in the Munster semi-final on June 21.

DCU midfielder Darren Mullen said that knocking out the champions and advancing to the semi-finals of the Fitzgibbon Cup is a huge boost to hurling in the university.

The game seemed destined for extra-time until the closing stages.

Fitzgibbon Cup: IT Carlow 1-22 - Mary Immaculate, Limerick 0-22: Fourteen-man IT Carlow, coached by Kilkenny legend DJ Carey, laid down an impressive marker when taking the scalp of defending Fitzgibbon Cup champions Mary Immaculate of Limerick in a thrilling, full-blooded opening-round tie at the Heywood Community College in Laois yesterday.

A first Electric Ireland Munster minor hurling title for Cork since 2008, then, but a post-match warning from manager Denis Ring.

Limerick 0-12 Clare 3-13: A early goal in either half propelled the minor footballers of Clare into their first Munster MFC final since 1994.

Clare 5-11 Waterford 0-6

Kerry unleashed their superior firepower in the opening half of this Electric Ireland Munster MFC quarter-final against a Clare side caught in the headlights in near perfect conditions at the Austin Stack Park last night.

Clare 1-24 Waterford 0-9: A powerful second-half performance saw Clare ease into the Munster Minor Hurling Championship semi-final in front of a crowd of 1,622 at Cusack Park in Ennis last evening.

St Flannan’s College 4-9 Mercy Mounthawk 2-12: A three-goal St Flannan’s, College, Ennis salvo in the opening 10 minutes proved decisive as they had to withstand a tremendous second-half comeback from Mercy Mounthawk, Tralee to hang on for a three-point win, in this gripping Corn Ui Mhuiri quarter-final at Rathkeale.

Tipperary 2-15 Clare 0-12: A pair of late goals sent Tipperary into the semi-final of the Munster Minor Hurling Championship at Cusack Park, Ennis last evening.

St Flannan’s College, Ennis 1-9 Pobalscoil Sliabh Luachra, Rathmore 1-8: St Flannan’s stunned a fancied Pobalscoil Sliabh Luachra, Rathmore at Rathkeale yesterday in an absorbing Corn Uí Mhuiri quarter-final.

Cork hurling fans will hope Saturday’s Tony Forristal U14 Tournament in Waterford proves to be a good omen for the week ahead with the Rebels defeating Clare (3-9 to 0-5).

IRELAND return to the exact field where Ulster flanker John McCall died a little over a year ago and are depending on other results working in their favour to progress at the U19 World Championships in Durban today.