There is a difference between finding and seeking consistency, which holds true for both Dublin and Clare as they face-off in the penultimate round of the Allianz Hurling League: Dublin need to find it again, Clare are still seeking it.

After losing to Cork, Dublin’s consistent start to their campaign suddenly abandoned them, and they probably need to beat Clare in Ennis on Saturday afternoon to keep alive their chances of making the quarter-finals. For Clare, with three defeats from three games, only a victory will keep alive their chances of avoiding the relegation playoff.

"We forgot to bring the shovel to work, and we didn't work hard enough," says Dublin defender Niall Corcoran, of last Saturday's 11-point defeat to Cork at Croke Park.

“And it was a case of guys just switching off. We got caught by a couple of line balls from Cork and they got scores from it. So it was just all those small things that went against us on Saturday night.

“And one thing we’re trying to work on is our consistency. We’ve been consistent over the last two games against Tipperary and Kilkenny but, there is always a danger there that we might slump and that happened on Saturday night.

‘Trait of our game’

“It’s very hard to put your finger on what that comes back to. It’s been a trait of our game for the last number of years. It may be a case of lads maybe having to focus on their job and not play the occasion. It’s something that we have to look at as players and rectify it. Again, it’s definitely one of our targets for the year, to achieve that consistency and then bring it down to championship.”

It could be worse, like it is for Clare, and Corcoran admits that Clare look particularly wounded by their lack of consistency, even if one eye appears to be on the summer.

"Listening to Davy Fitzgerald, his focus sounds like it's on the championship," says Corcoran. "But they've lost their three games now and they definitely want to avoid relegation. Their backs are to the wall now and the whole county is going to be behind them to get that win. And the way the league is, it's so tight. We won two games last year and ended up in a relegation playoff with Waterford.

“It’s a really big game for both of us, but I think last Saturday night, losing to Cork, will help us focus the minds that bit more to get a performance from ourselves in Ennis.”

It certainly makes for an interesting campaign, unlike the previous format, which very soon became something of a foregone conclusion. “The fact that it is six teams, it is cut throat,” says Corcoran. “If it was expanded to eight teams, you might be able to spread it out a bit more and get the work done and maybe try new guys out. So there’s pros and cons.”

One of the other cons about Saturday's game is that it goes up against Ireland's crunch Six Nations game in Cardiff. Corcoran admits it's not ideal.

“We can’t control the fixtures, unfortunately. It’s probably more a hindrance for sports fans, more than anything. From our point of view, we can only focus on Saturday at three o’clock. That’s all. That’s our job.

“Win on Saturday and we’re sure of a quarter-final spot. Lose your next two games and you could be in a relegation final. And we have Kilkenny in our last game, who have already lost two games. The last place you want to be is in a relegation match against Kilkenny.”