Aaron Cunningham says Clare's hurlers won't be able to reflect on 2017 as a successful year unless they win this weekend.

The Banner County have endured a string of disappointing seasons since streaking to All-Ireland glory in 2013 and Cunningham accepts that this will be another one to forget unless they can get past the defending champions in Saturday's All-Ireland SHC quarter-final at Pairc Ui Chaoimh:

"You're going from preparing for a Munster championship and everything is all rosy and then three weeks later you could be finished.That's it, that's the way it goes," the Wolfe Tones clubman told The Irish Daily Star.

"Look, for it to be looked upon as a successful year we probably have to get back to Croke Park. We haven't been there for the last four years. There is a lot of pressure on the Tipp game but they're going in as All-Ireland champions and there's huge pressure on them as well.

"I think the last day was huge for Tipp because there was a lot of talk about them having a poor year and not being together and this and that. But I think they put all that to bed last week and that's a huge monkey off their back.

"They now believe again that they're back to their best and unfortunately for us we're the team that'll have to stand up and try and face that."

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