This year Richie Power was supposed to join the ranks of elite hurlers - instead his championship appears to be over after just a few fleeting glimpses of artistry.

Having damaged cartilage in his knee playing for Carrickshock, Power underwent an operation recently that rules out a return to Kilkenny colours, at least until the All-Ireland final.

Power scored three points after making a late entry to the Leinster final on July 2nd and seemed destined for a return to the starting line-up for Saturday's quarter-final against Galway in Thurles. He had already missed the league final win over Limerick and the early part of the championship with a leg injury.

Hopes Noel Hickey can recover from a hamstring injury sustained in training last week improved when the All Star full back resumed light training this week. Kilkenny are expected to include Hickey when selecting the team tonight.

Meanwhile, Clare manager Anthony Daly has named the same side that overcame Offaly in their last qualifier match for Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final against Wexford at Croke Park.

Midfielder Jonathan Clancy (hamstring) and left corner forward Tony Griffin (groin) came through Tuesday night's training session with no complaints.

Clare are hot favourites to make the All-Ireland semi-final after impressive wins over Limerick, Dublin and Offaly.

Waterford captain and free-taker Paul Flynn will tog out for Sunday's other quarter-final, against Tipperary but is unlikely to play a substantial role as he has failed to recover from a recurring thigh/groin strain. Tom Feeney (shoulder) and Eoin Murphy are expected to return from recent injuries to take their places in the starting line-up.

CLARE (SH v Wexford): D Fitzgerald; G O'Grady, B Lohan, F Lohan; B O'Connell, S McMahon, G Quinn; J Clancy, C Lynch; D McMahon, T Carmody, N Gilligan; D Quinn, A Markham, T Griffin.