Clare call on three newcomers

Three players will make their championship debuts for Clare in Sunday's Munster SHC opener against Waterford (Gaelic Grounds, throw-in 2pm).

Clare manager Mike McNamara has named Corofin clubman Dara Clancy at left corner back.

There are also roles for new faces Patrick Donlon (O'Callaghan's Mills) and Mark Flaherty (Killanena) at left half-back and left corner forward respectively.

Niall Gilligan will start at right corner forward. The 1999 All-Star had been experiencing pins and needles in his hands after losing consciousness in a recent challenge game against Offaly.

However, he was back training at the weekend and will start the quarter-final tie, which will be his 50th championship match.

In all, there are six changes to the Clare team that lost last year's All-Ireland quarter-final to Limerick at Croke Park.

Declan O'Rourke misses out with a broken finger, Gerry Quinn and Barry Nugent have to be content with places on the bench, while Alan Markham, Kevin Dilleen and Bernard Gaffney are not part of the current panel.

Tony Griffin, who only returned from Canada in recent weeks, will lead the Clare attack this weekend, while Tony Carmody is positioned at full-forward for his first championship outing since the 2006 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kilkenny.

Clare and Waterford last met in the championship in 2005 when the Banner men won an All-Ireland qualifier tie by five points, having been well beaten a year earlier in Munster's first round.

Clare have not won a Munster first round tie since beating Tipperary in 2003. Prior to that, they had lost first round games in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

The winners of Sunday's game will face Limerick in Thurles on June 22.

CLARE (SHC v Waterford): P Brennan; G O'Grady, F Lohan, D Clancy; B Bugler, C Plunkett, P Donlon; B O'Connell (capt), C Lynch; D McMahon, T Griffin, J Clancy; N Gilligan, T Carmody, M Flaherty.