Clare have been dealt a hammer blow ahead of the 2020 intercounty football season.
The Clare Champion understands that captain Gary Brennan will not be part of the panel for the coming year.
The Clondegad man is believed to have informed the panel this week that he will not be available for the campaign, which gets underway when they defend their McGrath Cup title next month.
The St Flannans based teacher has been a key figure in the rise of Clare’s fortunes in recent times, and lifted the Division 3 title in Croke Park in 2016.
It means Colm Collins will be without his captain along with Jamie Malone (travelling), Sean O’Donoghue (returned to USA) and Aaron Fitzgerald (knee injury).
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.