A brand new inter-county hurling season is upon us with Clare and Limerick staging the first major act of the drama on Sunday next at Semple Stadium. We’ll be keen neutrals keeping a watching brief on what’s facing us on June 21.
Yes, indeed, the hurling sap is rising with interest building incrementally as key fixtures approach. Of course the Leinster campaign has already blasted off with their round robin series among the province’s minnows. However, the serious business kicks in from here with Sunday’s fixture the first of a number of key collisions.
It’s a big one for these Shannonside neighbours who last met in the 2013 All Ireland semi-final where the Banner held sway. Thus far this season they’ve both suffered some angst. Internal aggravation was part of the Clare plot as they slumped to relegation. For Limerick too it was a poor league series, failing to escape division 1B and bowing out meekly in the league quarter-final. Both then share a desire to consign springtime difficulties to history and open a new chapter for 2015.
If Limerick needs encouragement they’ll focus on the 2014 All Ireland semi where they came so close to derailing Kilkenny on that monsoon afternoon at Croke Park. A little more punch in attack might have got them there on that occasion and it’s that offensive zone they’ll hope has improved this year with the addition of players like underage star Cian Lynch.
For Clare 2014 was a hurling write-off and they’ve struggled since to reassert their credentials. The loss of Colm Galvin hasn’t helped though there were signs in their relegation battle with Kilkenny that the engine was starting to purr once again.
The bookies see Clare as the more likely winners of this head-to-head, though strangely list Limerick as the more likely of the two to win Munster. That contradiction, perhaps, indicates the uncertainty surrounding this fixture, an uncertainty that only Sunday’s game will resolve.
Uncertainty is written into the outright odds for All Ireland success too with Kilkenny and Tipperary both being quoted at odds of 11/4. Kilkenny’s case is curious. The popular line on Cody and co is that retirements have left them in transition so expect some vulnerability this time. Yet the facts contradict this: they’ve only lost one first-fifteen player, albeit a very significant one in J.J. Delaney. The other retirees headed for the hills because Cody had sent them to the margins of the panel in 2014. They may have had a moral influence in the background but the hurley carrier had as much on-field impact as Shefflin, for example, last year.
So, it’s difficult to see why Kilkenny, the reigning champions, are being pegged back so much in the rankings. The only retirement that would really matter Noreside is that of Cody himself and thus far the boss is showing no inclination to slink away. He remains the moral enforcer at the heart of everything that they do, nurturing this culture of win, win, win. He doesn’t want players to die for the cause, he has said, but rather he wants players who will kill for the cause. It’s a significant distinction one that lies at the core of his unforgiving philosophy.
Like me then you may dislike Cody on a personal level but, reluctantly, you have to acknowledge the enormity of what he has achieved. In Tipperary we’ve matched them in hurling science but when it comes to trench warfare we’re far behind.
Like Tipperary Kilkenny plan for the weekend of June 20 when they’ll likely host Wexford at Nowlan Park in the Leinster semi. The other side of the Leinster draw would appear to sit between Dublin and Galway who engage at Croke Park on Sunday week. Not even Anthony Cunningham knows what Galway will bring to the table, though on their good days they’re capable of unseating anyone. For Dublin getting to a Leinster final is essential to sustain momentum and they seem capable of doing just that.
Getting back to Munster the first of the semis will be at the Stadium on June 7 with that rematch of Waterford and Cork. Pauric Mahoney’s injury sent the pendulum swinging Leeside though late word of damage to Lorcan McLoughlin’s shoulder is now a counter-balance as is a reported injury to Seamus Harnedy.
For Tipperary it’s been an unusually long gap between league and championship. Perhaps it’s as well given our list of injuries and illnesses that surround the panel at the moment. Word that Mickey Cahill had pulled a hamstring was unwelcome news given the player’s urgent need of match practice. Paudie Maher is out of hospital but still recuperating. James Barry played twenty minutes on Sunday last with a heavily bandaged thigh though John McGrath made a welcome return.
That friendly with Dublin at Drombane must have seen the management scour the county for players because of the drain of club commitments. Someone commented that it was dangerous to have your gear in the car because you might be called into action. Anyway I’m glad it all went off smoothly for the industrious local committee which put on a great show and got generous support from followers.
As for the game itself it told us very little other than the sharpness of John McGrath on his return from that pelvis injury. He had 2-5 clocked up by half time (2-3 from play) against a porous looking defence. Conor Kenny slotted over a few smart points too as Tipp led by five at the interval. Then the management gave others some game time so that Dublin hit back for a minimal win in the end.
It was a good evening for Upperchurch and Drombane but as a hurling exercise it was about as valuable as pucking a ball against a gable end.
Meanwhile the club scene continues to tick away merrily in the background. The highlight fixture last weekend was the meeting of Drom and Sarsfields in the Mid and it developed into an interesting enough set-to with a tame first half picking up somewhat in the second.
I’d rate it a moral victory for Sarsfields because they went into play without Mickey Cahill, Paudie Maher, Stephen Cahill, Denis Maher and Billy McCarthy. That’s a strong third of the side missing and Drom still couldn’t put one over on them. In fact Drom depended on a patently wrong refereeing call for the late equaliser off a Callanan free.
It’s been a sluggish start to the season by Drom though I’m sure their focus will be on the business end of things in late summer. There wasn’t much at stake in Sunday’s game with both teams likely to emerge from the round robin series at the expense of relegation candidates, Moyne/Templetuohy.
In other Mid games Boherlahan were on the receiving end against Moycarkey and Upperchurch got a narrow verdict on Holycross, the latter still without Cathal Barrett. The ‘Church will need to beat Loughmore to make the divisional semis. The winners of Moycarkey and Brackens should also be semi-finalists.
In the West Annacarty just about edged out Kickhams, the latter, it seems, guilty of much costly, wayward shooting. Apart from their six-goal leakage against Swans Kickhams have been very competitive this season and will have another shot at a West semi when they face the losers from the Cappawhite/Clonoulty game.
Down South Killenaule were run close by Ballingarry while up North Toomevara had a notable win over Nenagh Eire Og. The latter game featured a major bust-up after about twenty minutes. Toome’ had a player sent off and then went on to win the match. Sounds familiar.
By Jonathan Cullen Thu 21st May
