Podge Collins had to leave Wexford Park early last weekend as he couldn't stand the tension.

Dual star Collins was suspended for Clare's SH Qualifier replay against Wexford, having been red-carded in the drawn game seven days earlier. He couldn't bear to look on as the replay went to extra time and had already left the venue by the time Liam Dunne's side dethroned the defending All-Ireland champions:

"I was down at the hurling game and it's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, sitting down watching that, thinking you've let down the team and not being able to help at all," he states in The Irish Examiner.

"And then going down to 13 men, it was cruel. The extra time I couldn't handle: I had to leave with five or ten minutes to go.

"I sat under the stand, I couldn't watch it. I could hear the crowd and there was a young kid in there, one of the Wexford selectors' son, and he had his phone out and he was following it away on Twitter.

"He was sitting in the room with me. He was too nervous for his dad, and he was chatting away to me. I knew by the roars Wexford had got on top and I knew then. I had to switch off and forget about the hurling and focus on the football.

"It will give me drive for next year because it really was a very disappointing year for me, not playing well against Cork and getting sent off against Wexford and missing the second game."

"I'm playing hurling and football my whole life. I understand that on any day you go out, anything can happen. Balls can break your way and you can have a good game; balls don't go your way and you can be taken off.

"That thing against Wexford was very disappointing but that's life; you just have to get on with it. Sport is so unpredictable and you just have to drive on for next year."

Collins will be in action for the Banner County footballers when they host Kildare in a Round 3B SF Qualifier at Ennis tomorrow night. Tweet

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