Gaelic Games

Weekend hurling previews: Clare aiming to lay down a marker to champions

Cusack Park not Limerick’s favourite hunting ground while elsewhere Cork and Wexford can register important opening victories

John Conlan takes a sideline cut for Clare during last year's epic Munster final clash against Limerick at the TUS Gaelic Grounds. Photograph: Photograph: Evan Treacy/Inpho
John Conlan takes a sideline cut for Clare during last year's epic Munster final clash against Limerick at the TUS Gaelic Grounds. Photograph: Photograph: Evan Treacy/Inpho
Seán Moran
Sat Apr 20 2024 - 06:00
Sunday
Munster SHC

Clare v Limerick, Cusack Park, Sunday, 2.0 [Live RTÉ2] – The playing of this fixture will unlock a lot of the data that can shed light on the precise standing of these two intractable rivals.

Right now, Clare look to have the upper hand having won the league with a decisive win over Kilkenny, even if as usual the margin was remorselessly shaved by the end. Limerick, by contrast, were well beaten by the Leinster champions and have been trying to figure out how that happened.

John Kiely nonetheless names a strong-enough team with Cathal O’Neill replacing the injured Darragh O’Donovan at centrefield. O’Neill spent spring in the half backs and the rest of his career has been in the half forwards so a switch may take place.

Last year in the famous win in Limerick, Clare pushed right up on the champions’ half backs, pressing the middle third, and although David Fitzgerald and Shane O’Donnell did a lot of that work, Tony Kelly and Ryan Taylor also played their part. Taylor is still injured and Kelly has yet to play this year, although he is named in the panel.

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There has been some speculation about the impact on Clare of winning the league as the last two winners followed up the success with a very poor provincial championship.

Although Brian Lohan’s team said all the right things after the final, there is still a lurking concern that it maybe takes more out of a team than is appreciated, just as there is further anxiety for the challengers that Limerick have completed all sorts of running repairs to the team swept aside by Kilkenny.

They will miss O’Donovan, who had evolved into a highly effective player, but also the suspended Peter Casey for his judgment on the ball.

Limerick have never won a round-robin match in Ennis and whereas margins will again be tight, the home side on form have a good chance. Verdict: Clare

Waterford v Cork, Walsh Park, 4.0 [Live, GAAGO] – Waterford are long odds in this, hardly surprisingly given the county’s wretched record in the round-robin and disappointing league campaign. They’re not entirely without hope in that they have focused on this match for months and, if they bring a bespoke plan to shut down Cork, a surprise could be on.

The mood, though, is very low in the county, as reflected in a likely crowd where the home support will be outnumbered by Cork’s. The visitors have attracted scepticism, not least because of the longevity of forwards Séamus Harnedy, Conor Lehane and Patrick Horgan, but two years ago when they successfully raided this venue, the three contributed 0-14 between them.

Another topical reference is Alan Connolly, scorer of two successive hat-tricks in the league, who also scored 2-0 the same day in 2022. After an awful couple of years with injuries, he is fit to start this weekend.

Waterford can set out their stall defensively but can they work the scoreboard? Dessie Hutchinson has been deployed more deeply but if pushed up, can cause a few problems. Overall, however, Cork are more likely to get the bit between their teeth. Verdict: Cork

Leinster SHC

Galway v Carlow, Pearse Stadium, 2.0 – Carlow are unfortunate to be the only Division 2A team in the MacCarthy Cup. They did secure promotion to next year’s 1B but lost the final to Laois. This will be a big step up with Galway conscious that it was failure to win this fixture by more than six in 2019 that ultimately knocked them out of the championship. Verdict: Galway

Wexford v Dublin, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 2.0 – This fixture has the perennial tag of being a crucial third-place playoff, but although Dublin have won it the last two years, they didn’t make it out of Leinster in 2022. Wexford have made a good start to Keith Rossiter’s managerial tenure, securing a place in next year’s Division One and finding a couple of promising players in the process.

Dublin didn’t thrive in their league campaign but have been able to restore some important players, principally Dónal Burke and Eoghan O’Donnell, and played a recent creditable challenge against Limerick. Rossiter is able to name top forwards Lee Chin and Rory O’Connor in his panel and they should be able to guide the home side to a potentially important win. Verdict: Wexford

Kilkenny v Antrim, UPMC Nowlan Park, 2.30 – Kilkenny welcome back TJ Reid, All Star Mikey Butler and Mikey Carey, all of whom missed the league final. Darren Gleeson is also able to reintroduce some first-teamers after they missed the league, notably the Elliotts – Nigel, Seaan and goalkeeper Ryan, plus their Dunloy team-mate Keelan Molloy – but this is a hard opener. Kilkenny had a big win in Corrigan Park last year and will expect to emulate that at home. Verdict: Kilkenny

Seán Moran

Seán Moran

Seán Moran is GAA Correspondent of The Irish Times