A semi-final outing against Tipperary will be ideal preparation for the championship, according to Clare's John Conlon.

The two rivals will go head-to-head in the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday and Conlon is expecting a 'tough' encounter..

"Tipperary are big rivals and they are after hitting a bit of form in the last few weeks," he told gaa.ie in Limerick today.

"That's good to see, and it's good for the championship.

"We're really looking forward to Sunday. Tipperary are going to be coming out fighting, we're going to come out fighting and hopefully it will lead to a big game."

The injection of new blood into the Clare squad has been one of the highlights of the campaign so far for the Banner County.

"We have introduced a few new lads into the panel and the panel is becoming very strong at the moment.

"The competition in matches at training has really gone up since we came back this year.

"That's a great thing for us and we've trained hard throughout the league. The encouraging thing is we are building a big panel now and you can look to the sideline and anyone can take your place." Tweet

Most Read Stories