Former Clare manager and RTE GAA pundit Ger Loughnane believes it is not too late for dual star Podge Collins to return to the Clare hurlers.

Collins is not part of the senior hurlers' squad at the moment after he wanted to play for the county footballers as well and Davy Fitzgerald wasn't willing to entertain the idea of dual players in his squad.

However, Loughnane stressed to the Clare Champion that the door should still be left open for Collins to return as the banner need a player of his quality in their ranks.

"No I don't think it's too late," said the two-time All-Ireland winning manager. "I would never think it's too late. I am desperately hoping that Clare will hang on in there to get to Croke Park and get to the semi-final. Maybe by then, the Clare footballers might be gone.

"Meeting people outside of Clare, they are just flabbergasted that somebody's of Podge's influence, and potential contribution to the team, is not involved with Clare.

"Now there is an awful lot of reasons for it, that I perfectly understand knowing the background as I do. I am confident that he will come back again if he is doing it for football reasons only; if there is some other reason which I don't know about, I am very, very confident that a person with his drive, his ambition and his love for sport, I am very confident that he will be back again if football is the only reason that he is not playing hurling for Clare."

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