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THREE rounds into the 2004 NHL, Clare are unbeaten and champions Kilkenny are in a spot of bother. Who would have predicted that?

Tomorrow, in Cusack Park in Ennis in the game of the weekend, they meet in a match-up that is of far more importance to the League/championship double champions of the past two seasons than it is to the locals.

After two losses from three games, to Waterford and Galway, a struggle to get over Laois last week, Kilkenny's need in this one is far greater than that of Anthony Daly's Clare, and they will approach it accordingly.

Brian Cody's side will be as near as dammit to the starting 15 that retained the All-Ireland title last September, as they go in search of the points that will see them back in with a chance of retaining their League title.

Daly, by contrast, has a number of serious concerns, especially at the back. Davy Fitzgerald, their vastly experienced keeper, is serving an eight-week ban for some after-match verbals to referee Pat Horan, after the team he coaches, LIT, were beaten in the Fitzgibbon Cup.

Two members of the full-back line that was the cornerstone of the Clare run to the All-Ireland final two years ago, Brian Quinn and Brian Lohan, are out with injuries, while the third member of that line, Frank Lohan, is being tried (with a good degree of success) at full-forward.

It all adds up to major worry, for Daly. "Jamesie is also injured and was on crutches until training last Wednesday morning. He didn't take any part in that session, so we're a bit shook for this weekend. I can't finalise a team till after we see the lads in training this evening.

"We thought we'd have Brian Lohan back, and with him at full, Gerry O'Grady in the left corner, Brian O'Connell on the right, it wouldn't have been too bad. Lohan would have had the experience to hold it all together. "Don't get me wrong, they're two good young lads, but it would have been good to have had a bit of experience there with them. O'Connell will now be at full-back again, and it's a toss-up between a number of fellas for the other corner."

Any temptation to bring back Frank, just for this one game? "No, he got two goals against Laois, one against Dublin, one against Galway. The Galway goal was very impressive," the manager noted. "He got a ball when there didn't seem much on, burst past Diarmuid Cloonan, a big man, cut inside, and hit an unstoppable shot.

"It's a while since Clare had someone to do that. It will take Frank a while to get to grips fully with the play up there, but he has a lot to offer to us and will stay at full-forward." Another Clare experiment was the placement of outstanding midfielder Colin Lynch at centre-forward, and following relative success against Galway last week, this gamble too will be maintained.

"Colin is not a conventional centre-forward, not a break-up-the-play man, and it will be up to us to watch the type of ball we send in to him. But he's very effective he roams around, picks up a lot of ball, sets up the scores and is also well capable of taking his own. We haven't picked the side yet, but he'll probably be there again this Sunday."

Because of a combination of injuries/suspension/experimentation, it is very much a new-look Clare then, but it will be a familiar Kilkenny fifteen. Given how important that they win, more than likely a win for the Cats, but as long as his side perform well, it won't bother Daly that much.

"We're happy enough with the start we've had. We were probably expected to win our first two games, got the results, played reasonably well against Laois but poor enough against Dublin. We put it up to the lads then to have a go against Galway, especially after Galway had beaten Kilkenny, that was a good test for us. The lads responded very well and got a good win. There will be a big crowd in Cusack Park for this one but without wanting to appear pessimistic, we'd like to have seen either Brian Quinn or Brian Lohan in there, to offer a bit of experience in the full-back line, especially with Davy Fitz also out. As it is, we'll have three new guys, up against a very experienced Kilkenny forward line."