Clare fired up to avenge last year's semi-final defeat to Kilkenny

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship quarter-final

Kilkenny v Clare (Sunday, Croke Park, 4pm, live on RTÉ2 & BBC Two)

COME Sunday afternoon, there will only be one available spot left in the All-Ireland hurling championship.

Either Henry Shefflin or John Kiely will be watching on in Croke Park, squaring up their All-Ireland final opponents.

It’s 12 months since the Cats embarked on Jones’ Road for

All-Ireland final day, in what turned out to be Brian Cody’s last game in charge of his black and amber warriors. The fairytale finish turned to a final heartache.

Limerick repelled every piece of armoury that the Cats had in their locker to climb the famed Hogan Stand steps for the fourth time in five seasons.

Kilkenny, with Derek Lyng now the man leading the way, will be keen to right those wrongs.

It’s been a few lean years for them having not lifted the Liam McCarthy cup in eight seasons, losing three finals along the way.

Not that any other county would have much sympathy for the reigning Leinster champions, but in hurling country, that’s a famine.

To get back to the showpiece, Lyng’s side must navigate their way past Clare.

The Banner county certainly won’t be laying out an easy pathway.

The Munster men are the bookies’ favourites to come through Sunday’s collision.

It’s been a decade since Clare were still standing on the final day of the season, when they last claimed

All-Ireland gold after a replay against provincial rivals Cork.

Brian Lohan’s charges are thirsty for a return to their former glory.

Much has been said and written about Clare over the last number of years, but they’ve failed to live up to expectations and really dine at the top table.

That owes much to the superiority of All-Ireland champions Limerick, who have handed out blow after blow.

Most recently of course, the Treaty county extended Clare’s enduring pain for some provincial silverware as they picked up a historic fifth Munster title on the trot with another heartbreaking and controversial one-point winning margin.

It’s a tale Lohan’s side know all too well at this stage, but Clare bounced back brilliantly in the All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin to keep in the hunt for Liam McCarthy.

Four first-half goals allowed Clare to convincingly race past the Dubs, with sharp-shooter Tony Kelly helping himself to a hat-trick of three-pointers, while Mark Rodgers and Shane O’Donnell also rattled the net in their 5-26 to 2-17 victory.

But it could have come at a cost. Defensive rock John Conlon, along with goalscorer O’Donnell, were replaced due to injury concerns, although both have been named to start tomorrow’s showdown.

Clare will need all of their foot soldiers primed and ready for battle if they are to overcome Kilkenny in the Championship for the first time since 1997, which ironically was also in the final four of the All-Ireland race.

You don’t have to venture that far back for semi-final history between the two, as they locked horns at the same stage of the competition last season and like the previous four Championship encounters, Kilkenny came out on top.

THE Cats won at a canter although a similar margin between the sides tomorrow would be a major surprise.

Yet Kilkenny do hold that aura of confidence and knowledge of winning that often drains the energy from their opponents.

Ace attacker TJ Reid, who has already cemented his place in the hurling Hall of Fame, top scored with 0-10 this time last year, while goals in either half from Cian Kenny and Martin Keoghan led the way to a dominant 2-26 to 0-20 victory.

Kilkenny have had the added bonus of a couple of weeks off heading into tomorrow’s clash, having lifted the Leinster title four weeks ago with a never-say-die display that has been their trademark for over two decades.

Cillian Buckley’s late goal guided them to another provincial title and if nothing else, that undying drive for success and winning mentality usually keeps them hanging on, as presented against Galway in the Leinster final.

And that could be a major stumbling block for Clare. It’s all well and good knocking at the door of the top teams, but at some stage, Lohan’s lads will have to barge their way through and earn the right to contend for the top honours.

There’s no better venue to showcase their talents and Clare won’t be short on motivation.

But Kilkenny are the masters.

By hook or by crook, they’ll be parading around Croke Park on All-Ireland final day.