Fitzgerald brushes off Clare talk

Davy Fitzgerald has unsurprisingly distanced himself from the rumours circulating that he will succeed Ger O'Loughlin as Clare's latest hurling manager.

He has been linked to the vacant position in his native county, along with the likes of Clare's U-21 boss John Minogue and outgoing senior selector Danny Chaplin.

Fitzgerald is busy preparing his Waterford team for Sunday's Munster SHC final against Tipperary and said that the game is all that is on his mind at present.

Asked if he would consider applying for the Clare job, he told the Irish Daily Star: "I couldn't even think about that. I am with Waterford and I have a job to do.

"I am enjoying what I am doing at the moment. The Waterford County Board gave me a one-year term last year - and I want to do my best with that.

"That's all that I am thinking about at the moment."

The legendary goalkeeper has been in charge of Waterford since June 2008. He guided the Déise to the Munster title last summer, and they have appeared in an All-Ireland final and three semi-finals.

Ger 'Sparrow' O'Loughlin, whose decision to step down was confirmed yesterday, won two All-Ireland titles with Fitzgerald as part of the successful Clare team of the mid-1990s.

"'Sparrow' took on a tough job (with Clare) and I think he did a fair job. And the man who follows him will have a tough job too," added Fitzgerald, whose father Pat is the long-serving Secretary of the Clare County Board.

"That is still a very, very young Clare team and people have to realise that success doesn't come automatically just because players did well at minor and U-21 level.

"'Sparrow' probably knew that he wouldn't win anything, but one important thing that he did was change the attitude in the panel - the complacency that was there is gone."