CLARE
Manager: Colm Collins (2nd season). Titles: Munster 2 (1992), All-Ireland 0. 2015 championship: Beat Limerick 0-15 to 0-13 in the Munster quarter-final before losing out to Cork in the semi-finals, 1-20 to 1-8. Qualifier defeat to Longford followed (1-12 to 2-12).
How it unfolded
A mixed season ended up with Division Three status preserved but after a mid-season wobble. They benefited from a trickle of refugees from the hurling squad and also from the capital, with former Dublin panellists Shane McGrath and, this season, Kilmacud club All-Ireland winner Pat Burke. A bright start to the campaign saw Colm Collins’ side overcome Limerick by two points in the Munster quarter-finals, with substitute Cathal McInerney proving to be the hero as he kicked two late points to seal the win. But the loss of Podge Collins, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in a club hurling game at the end of May, didn’t help what was always going to be a tall order against Cork and the Rebels duly proved far too strong at Páirc Uí Rinn. The Longford defeat was typical of their inconsistency in 2015.