Fitzgerald on Clare's All-Ireland hopes & the Galway job

Fitzgerald won two All-Ireland titles as a Clare player before leading the county to the Liam MacCarthy as manager in 2013

Davy Fitzgerald has backed his native county Clare to win Sunday's All-Ireland Hurling final, saying the Bannermen hold no fear after beating the Rebels in their past two championship meetings.

Clare and Cork will contest one of the most anticipated deciders in recent years after they beat Kilkenny and holders Limerick in their respective semi-finals.

When the sides met in the Munster round-robin series in April, Clare edged a thrilling Munster round-robin game 3-26 to 3-24 at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Fitzgerald, who masterminded Clare's last All-Ireland triumph as manager in 2013 (beating Cork in the replayed final), is confident his former team-mate Brian Lohan will lead the county back to the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

"I believe there is a massive performance in this team. I've seen patches of it but I haven't seen it for 70 minutes," Fitzgerald told the BBC's GAA Social podcast.

"The second half against Kilkenny, pretty decent, but the first half wasn't good enough. They know that.

"Tony [Kelly] had a terrible injury earlier on in the year and has been slow getting back, I can see signs of him getting there. He's incredible. He's coming back to his best and playing Cork will suit him.

"It's going to be free-flowing. That suits Clare, suits Cork as well. There will be a lot of scores in this game. Both defences are coughing up enough."

Fitzgerald, whose Clare reign ended in 2016, is currently unattached after his second stint as Waterford boss came to an end earlier this month.

When asked about taking the Galway job - which is available after Kilkenny legend Henry Shefflin stepped down - Fitzgerald said he would "definitely listen" while adding that "thing have to align".

"Everything has to align. You never know what project is out there," said Fitzgerald, who revealed he turned the Galway job down in 2019 and was approached again in 2021.

"There are different things that would excite me that you’d think, ‘he’d never do that.’

"If I thought there was a real ambition for someone to do something different and for things to really align good, be it at Galway or somewhere else, I’d listen to it. I want someone that’s really ambitious.”

He added: "Everything has to align. You need county board, you need players, everyone on the same wavelength.

"People are funny how they think. Honestly, I’ve had one or two fellas I’m in business with and friendly with from up there saying, ‘Listen, we’ll get on to the Galway County Board and say it to them.’ But they’re the only calls I’ve had."

'I didn't want to but I changed my mind'

On turning down the Galway job in 2019, Fitzgerald recalled: "Let’s just say it was pretty nailed on.

"I pulled it at the last second because the time I had in Wexford was unreal and the players were incredibly loyal.

"I’d my mind made up that I was gone. The chairman Derek Kent, after the game against Tipp in ‘19, I told him, 'listen, I can’t do this. I’m just wrecked. I’m going.’ He said, ‘Davy, take six weeks now, take six weeks. Don’t say nothing.’

"After about four or five, I was approached by someone, spent a good bit of time with them, and that was would I go to Galway."

Fitzgerald added: "Eventually, after a few weeks, I was humming and hawing because I didn't want to let the Wexford players down. I rang and I told that person that I’d do it. That was on a Saturday. They were meant to announce it the following Thursday.

"On the Wednesday, I got a few calls from two (Wexford) players and what they said to me, emotionally blackmailed me. I remember saying to Sharon that ‘I can’t leave them down.’

"So I changed my mind. I had to ring that other person back. I didn’t really want to leave them back because he’s an unbelievable person that I’ve worked with before. Top class man I didn't want to but I changed my mind."