Donal Moloney has confirmed he will not seek another term as Clare hurling manager, citing the 'uncertainty' around the process of selecting a new manager.
Moloney served as joint-manager of Clare for the past three campaigns alongside Gerry O'Connor, the pair having worked together through the underage ranks before progressing the senior job in the wake of Davy Fitzgerald's departure.
O'Connor last month confirmed that he was stepping away from the setup, leaving a degree of uncertainty over Clare's next move.
Moloney made no decision at the time but today signalled that he would not seek another term, a decision he said he had reached despite receiving the support of the squad.
"Due to the ongoing uncertainty over the process of selecting new management and despite the support I have received from the hurling squad, I do not wish to inhibit members of the existing management team and persons who had committed to coming on board for 2020 from missing out on opportunities as other counties put together their coaching teams," he said in a statement.
"As a management team, we have taken the decision to not seek another term."
Together, Moloney and O'Connor led Clare U21s to three successive All-Ireland titles between 2012 and 2014, before being in elevated to the senior job in late 2016.
An indifferent first campaign concluded with a loss to Tipperary in the All-Ireland quarter-final but the managerial ticket enjoyed a strong 2018.
Clare beat Waterford, Tipperary and Limerick in the Munster round robin but surrendered a winning position against Cork in the Munster decider.
They recovered to dispose of Wexford in the All-Ireland quarter-final, teeing up a dramatic All-Ireland semi-final saga with Galway. A pulsating draw after extra-time in Croke Park was followed by an agonising one-point loss in the replay in Thurles as Clare narrowly missed out a first All-Ireland final since 2013.
Clare regressed in 2019, pipping Waterford in the opener but then suffering heavy defeats to both Tipperary and Limerick, piling pressure on the managerial team.
A rousing performance and victory over Cork in the final round of games could not rescue their campaign and they exited the championship on points difference.
In his statement, Moloney thanked the players for "bringing great honour to the Clare jersey in the 12 years I have been involved in inter-county management since 2007, from U-16 level up to the senior team."
