At all costs

David or Davy Fitzgerald is one of Ireland's most recognisable and polarising figures.

Possessed of an unshakeable work ethic and determination to succeed, he has over the past three decades, first as a goalkeeper with the Clare senior hurling team, then as an inter-county manager, established a reputation as one of the finest hurling talents of his generation.

For Davy, however, a man every bit the perfectionist, victory has always come at a cost.

His list of playing and managerial honours, which extends to a scarcely believable 27 medals for club and county, is matched by a roll call of controversies and arguments, both public and private, every bit as lengthy.