Joe Rabbitte already has a few titles to his name. The man with the greatest reach in hurling, one of the biggest yet least selfish on the field, and the man with more scars than Braveheart.

Few can argue that Rabbitte has had a raw deal with injuries, that he has taken more than his fair share of hits. Head and knee damage regularly put his career on hold and an eye injury a few years back almost ended it. And even though he won't admit it, they say he's broken every finger in his hand. The only claim Rabbitte wants, however, is on an All-Ireland title.

As Galway head into their quarter-final meeting with Clare at Croke Park on Sunday, there are only vague memories of All-Ireland glory which were so fresh at the start of the decade. All along, Rabbitte has been there to see the hopes flicker and fade.

"Right now, the enthusiasm is still there in my game," he says. "That's the important thing. I don't have that All-Ireland medal and that's hunger enough. You're always hoping the day will come, and it's no different this summer either."

Rabbitte's return to centre forward for the Connacht final win over Roscommon surprised many. It marked his first competitive game for the county since last year's quarter-final loss to Waterford, which he followed with a six-month lay-off during the winter. "I really just decided on the break for myself, and I suppose the body needed it as well. There were a lot of years in there and a lot of injuries as well."

Even at a highly experienced 29, Rabbitte is not ready for the veteran title just yet. "You know, I never thought I'd see the day when they would be calling me one of the older lads. Like everyone else, I just play my own game. I wouldn't be known as a scoring forward, but I just do what I'm supposed to do. Nothing at all has changed my game."

Clare's back-door entrance won't fool anyone into thinking that they are no longer going to be a force in this year's championship. "Everyone in the country knows about this Clare team, so they won't be anything new to us. They have such a strong record in recent years and I still believe they are the team to beat.

"It's going to be a hard game, and it's going to be a real game of hurling. You go up there and you don't really know how things are going to work out, but I expect nothing more than for the best team to win. Still, you look at the draw and you have to feel this will be one of the hardest games to win."

Around Galway, the spotlight has turned back to the hurlers after Mayo eliminated the All-Ireland football champions last Sunday.

"What the footballers did was brilliant for Galway, and obviously it was a big cut to see them lose on Sunday. I suppose the supporters will sort of look back now and see what will come out of the hurling. But a lot of the mood and atmosphere and all that depends on success, and we haven't had that in recent years."

The championship arena, even if it has failed to bring rewards, is nothing new to Rabbitte. He made his first full appearance back in the 1991 semi-final defeat by Tipperary, but he was also part of the panel that made it to the All-Ireland final the previous year, only to suffer the narrow loss at the hands of Cork, 5-15 to 2-21.

There has, however, been success at other levels. He does have an under-21 medal from 1991 after playing at full forward in the team that beat Offaly in the final. There was also the inspiring performance in 1996 when he helped Athenry take the All-Ireland club championship over Wolfe Tones of Clare. On the team that day were the Lohan brothers, Brian and Frank, and they come face to face again on Sunday.

If things fail again this season, Rabbitte hasn't made any plans to go anywhere fast. "I've always said to myself that I'll keep going until the enjoyment goes out of the game. That's nowhere near the case right now."

And having played in almost every position in the Galway attack, back in the days when expectations and reputation were almost enough to ensure a taste of success, Rabbitte has long ago given up on taking things for granted.