Fitzy ‘shocked’ at energy exhausted players had left in the tank

“Shocked” was the reaction of Clare boss Davy Fitzgerald, not at a rare Kilkenny scalp but to the deep reservoirs of energy and effort exhausted by his players in grinding out a one point win.

Clare’s winter training schedule had been shorted by a team holiday to Mexico last month and the recent Waterford Crystal final hammering to Tipperary had reinforced to Fitzgerald that his charges were well off the pace heading into the league’s opener.

Indeed, Kilkenny had taken advantage of a lacklustre third quarter from the hosts to move in front, but Clare replied with three late scores to see out the result.