Podge Collins has confirmed that he was given an ultimatum by the Clare hurling management ahead of his decision to commit to the Banner's footballers next year.
Last month, 2013 All Star Collins and his brother Sean announced that they would play football with Clare next season rather than with Davy Fitzgerald’s hurling panel.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport, Collins said it was “very disappointing” that he would not be playing hurling for the Banner, but admitted that he had been forced to choose one code or the other.
“I was given an ultimatum,” Collins said. “I suppose they felt it didn’t work out last year - the hurling management. That’s just the way they felt. I just kind of had to pick between the two.
“The weeks coming up to making the decision, the way I felt [was]: it was disappointing, no matter what way I was going to go.
“I just weighed up my options and I just said I’d give the football a go for one year and see how I go.”
Collins also revealed that he feels, while only a Division Three side, the Clare football set-up is very much moving in the right direction.
“There’s a good set-up there with the football at the moment,” he said. “We got on all right this year: we lost to Kerry I think by three points in the Munster semi-final; we lost to Kildare by a point; we got promotion – I know it was from Division Four, but at least we’ll be playing Division Three this year.
“There was a decent year there with the football, so hopefully we’ll build on that now in 2015.”
He insisted that he still had a good relationship with the Clare hurling management and panel despite his decision.
“The lads on the panel, I’d be on to them most evenings ... There is no bad blood there ... They just didn’t want the dual thing to happen, and that was the way it was. There was no falling out over it.”
Collins maintained that it was possible to have dual status at a senior inter-county level, but conceded that it was important to remain injury-free for this to be the case.
“I found it grand,” he said of dual status. “In the middle of the season I came into a bit of trouble there: I got an infection in my finger. I just got a cut and it got infected after the Waterford game in the league. I missed a few weeks’ training with that. I think that was a real killer; I really didn’t need to be missing.
“If you can avoid injury it’s very manageable. But if you do get injured and you’re missing with both codes for a few weeks it is very hard to get back into it.”
But he insisted it was possible to be a dual-inter-county player, and held out hope that it may happen for him in the future.
"There is no bad blood there ... They just didn’t want the dual thing to happen, and that was the way it was. There was no falling out over it.”
“I’ve love to have given it another go, but, not to be for this year, anyway ... maybe in the future. Hopefully.”
Reflecting on the success of his club side, Cratloe, who recently completed a remarkable county double, winning both the hurling and football titles.
“For such a small club, it’s just unbelievable,” Collins said. “It’s something different than winning with the county, winning with the club.
"You know everyone, your family is involved, you’re playing with your brothers, everyone else is playing with their brother, everyone knows everyone. It’s just unbelievable.”
Cratloe won their first senior county title in 2009 and have gone on to win two football and two hurling titles.
Collins said it was “surreal, nearly” and that it was down to a good combination of players and good relationships between the respective management teams.
“There’s a good thing going,” he said. “Both managers get on so well, [as do] both management teams. Let’s say: when the football championship or the hurling championship ends on a Sunday, you’re straight back into it with the other code during the week.
“There are no arguments or no quarrels about it. That’s just it and that’s the way it’s done. Everyone is happy.”
