Clare manager Gerry O'Connor was delighted after his side opened their Munster and All-Ireland IHC defence with a 1-19 to 3-9 victory over Waterford at Thurles last Sunday.

"Given the good start we got, Waterford were always fighting an uphill battle. We started really well and then went out of it. We made a lot of changes when we were well ahead and sometimes this can cause a team to lose concentration," he told the Clare Champion.

"Our full back line worked very well, while up front Cathal Malone was excellent at centre forward and Cathal O'Connell and Davy O'Halloran also did very well. Malone was particularly prominent in the first half when his play brought the whole forward line into the game. His play helped create a lot of space inside for the full forwards and it suited our players."

Clare will face the winners of Sunday's second semi-final between Tipperary and Cork in the Munster final in the middle of next month.