Players celebrate a monkey off Clare's backs

Heard the one about the team that couldn’t afford to look beyond their first championship game? You did? You think you might have but only Clare have been so short-sighted.

On Sunday, at the fourth time of asking, they claimed a first Munster win since 2013. Chatter about them being All-Ireland dark horses and, aside from Waterford, the team best placed to dethrone Tipperary in the province easily washed over them.

When they had failed on their three previous efforts to win at the first time of asking in summer, all their eggs had to be placed in one basket.