Having been named Liam Sheedy’s team captain this week, the Drom-Inch attacker set a high benchmark of lead-from-the-front intensity for all his teammates to adhere to this season.

Sheedy said his first aim was “to win back the Tipperary public” and the manner of this performance has them off on the right foot. Callanan was the embodiment of the change in attitude. He may have scored more goals, more points, won more penalties than anyone else on the field, but he also led the chart for hooks made.

Nobody would’ve expected him to hunt down Aidan McCarthy as he did in the sixth minute, but an anticipated pass and 30-metre chase saw him spoil the debutant, who was booked for his subsequent foul.

He inflicted the same fate on an unsuspecting Cathal Malone, before his defensive pièce de résistance; a 70-metre dash after David McInerney to stop a score on his own ‘45. Tony Kelly was (wrongly) red-carded for his subsequent hit on Padraic Maher.

Amid murmurs of a Clare comeback backed by a favourable wind, that was the turning point, and Callanan finished the game by the 52nd minute with two goals in back-to-back plays. What was significant, though, was who supplied those goals — the two starters from Tipp’s U21 All-Ireland champions, Robert Byrne and Jake Morris. The new blood and the been-there-done-that leader combining seamlessly.

On a day when Jason Forde was ruled out of the starting team through injury, Morris made his claim as Tipp’s next diamond for Sheedy to squeeze into their jeweller’s window of an attack with two points and a much greater ball-winning influence.

He need only have followed Callanan’s example, who set the tone by catching a long delivery above full-back McInerney in the third minute for his first penalty. Although Donal Tuohy saved it, it was hit with such venom that the Clare goalie’s hurl snapped in two.

If he wasn’t convinced before this weekend, Sheedy now knows he can trust Callanan to execute his orders down to the finest, most self-sacrificing detail. When he won his second penalty, reacting to a breaking ball even before it had broken, Tipp led by eight with only four minutes remaining. A hat-trick beckoned. However, Sheedy bellowed, pointed skywards and Callanan forewent the long run up and crowd-pleasing finish to tap over. They’d made enough of a statement for one day.

A year ago, almost to the day, Callanan was undergoing back surgery on bulging discs which hampered his 2018 campaign — his back now looks strong enough to carry the team if needs be.

“He had a tough journey last year with his back injury,” said Sheedy. “He’s a guy that really does lead the line. We do need leadership up front and Seamie provides that.”

For all that, he wasn’t even named man-of-the-match. That award went to Padraic Maher, who was outstanding but owed much of his excellence to Clare’s tactical naivety. For a man who can at times look imprisoned by the requirements of the full-back spot, Clare liberated him to attack dropping balls, charge into attackers and hit more clearances than anyone on the park by leaving him free as a sweeper. He couldn’t have asked for more.

The one thing which surprised Sheedy after his first game as Tipp manager since the famous 2010 All-Ireland was being informed that it’d been 10 months since their last competitive win – a stat now consigned to the past.

“We let ourselves down somewhat two weeks ago in Limerick [in the 10-point Munster League final defeat to Clare]. They beat us comprehensively. They showed way more hunger, way more drive. We were anxious, in our own field in Thurles, that we came with a performance and came with a really good attitude.

“The scoreboard is probably false in the finish. When you get a player like Tony Kelly unfortunately [sent off], that had a huge bearing on the second half, because Clare were coming at us at that stage. It was very hard to play without the man the way we were set-up. It was going to be difficult to break us down.

“We’d tired bodies near the end, it was a very tough night. This week was a work week [in training] as well, because it needs to be. This is a stepping stone to what’s coming down the line.”

Cathal Barrett was de facto full-back on Colin Guilfoyle, and he spoiled him as best he could bar conceding a penalty for Niall Deasy to score. Ronan Maher and Alan Flynn did excellent jobs marking John Conlon and Tony Kelly. Kelly, who scored 2-3 against Tipp two weeks ago, was reduced to two points from sideline balls (one direct, the other after a quick one-two) and couldn’t roam out of Flynn’s orbit.

Michael Breen impressed at midfield and Noel McGrath scored three points, although the game passed by ‘Bonner’ Maher.

It was a total underperformance from Clare, who scored a paltry three points from play. Podge Collins was a rare bright spark after his half-time introduction and he brought the biggest test of Brian Hogan’s credentials in the Tipp goal by forcing him into a late save.

“They played a sweeper, which was unusual for Tipperary, but they did it and it worked very well for them. But it wasn’t just the sweeper, they put in an enormous effort throughout the field,” said Clare joint-manager Donal Moloney.

“We ended up hitting some blind ball and Padraic Maher mopped up a good bit of it.”

Scorers for Tipperary: S Callanan 2-7 (6 frees, 0-1 pen); N McGrath (0-3, 1 s/l); J Morris (0-2); A Flynn, M Breen, W Connors, R Byrne (0-1 each).

Scorers for Clare: N Deasy (1-1, 1-0 pen, 1 free); P Duggan (0-4, 3 frees, 1 ‘65); T Kelly (1 s/l), M O’Malley (1 free, 1 ‘65) (0-2 each); J Conlon, P Collins (0-1 each).

TIPPERARY: Brian Hogan; C Barrett, Padraic Maher, D Maher; A Flynn, R Maher, B Heffernan; M Breen, R Byrne; D McCormack, N McGrath, Patrick Maher; W Connors, S Callanan, J Morris.

Subs: M Kehoe for McGrath (61), John O’Dwyer for Morris (64), N O’Meara for McCormack (70), K O’Dwyer for D Maher (70+1), C Darcy for Byrne (70+3).

CLARE: D Tuohy; J McCarthy, D McInerney, J Browne; A McCarthy, C Cleary, C Malone; S Golden, T Kelly; D Ryan, N Deasy, R Taylor; C Guilfoyle, J Conlon, M O’Neill.

Subs: C Galvin for J McCarthy (ht), P Duggan for Deasy (ht), P Collins for O’Neill (ht), M O’Malley for Taylor (52), I Galvin for Conlon (64).

Referee: C Lyons (Cork).