I haven’t been much use to people looking for forecasts. Who’ll win the All-Ireland? If you asked me that as late as half-time in last year’s final, I would have been wrong.
Who should win Munster? I can’t even say with certainty who the top three will be in the province.
The league ended with the usual suspects in a holding pattern. All the major contenders are there or thereabouts and we’re really going to need the opening weeks of the championship to put some sort of shape on the pecking order.
Limerick were impressive in winning the title and to me they looked fitter than in recent years as well as benefiting from younger players stepping up. Shane O’Brien and Aidan O’Connor aren’t rookies by any stretch of the imagination but they really shone in the group stages.
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Performances were much more muted in the league final and they’ll need to see better days. The fact remains that at this point of the season for most of this decade, Limerick have been favourites for the All-Ireland – but they haven’t won it for three years.
Yes, they’re favourites. Yes, if they can produce the league final form five times or six times, they will win it. But that’s easier said than done.
Cork have been highly touted for the last two years but they haven’t won Liam MacCarthy either, despite contesting the last two All-Ireland finals. They have new management and maybe a slightly different approach, but the same players, basically.
Barry Walsh has come in at wing forward, and William Buckley, who has impressed, is also a fresh starter. Beyond that, the defence shows minimal change from the 2024 All-Ireland final and wasn’t getting better last year.
Tipperary are All-Ireland champions, but they are also in a position that has proved beyond all of their predecessors since 1965 – trying to retain the championship.
They open that defence on Sunday in Thurles against Cork. No matter what the mood music, the question for champions is how badly they want to keep their title. What are the hunger levels?
In my experience, champions rarely let the celebrations go on too long, so to speak. They tend to train every bit as hard as they did the previous year, but the difference is simply desire. They had that desire to get the draw against Limerick in the first round, they had it to hold off Clare in Ennis and they had it in the All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny. They were willing to fight for those last balls and got the winning goal and point.
That’s the difference, but will it be there again? You might think you’re training as hard, but you simply don’t know if you’re hitting the necessary levels until the question is asked at those critical moments.
If a strong mentality isn’t uniform, the team suffers. Ultimately, you’re only as strong as your weakest link.
Liam Cahill has introduced new starters in Oisín O’Donoghue and Stefan Tobin, which is one way of counteracting that drift and keeping the team fresh and on its toes.
It’s not just about “wanting it more”, either. Last year, Tipp had considerable fitness levels developed and I also believe their touch was better than any of the other teams. In the final, their hurling just held up better than Cork’s.
I think, however, the league final will probably stand to Cork. It was a big match in recent weeks, which is pretty good preparation. They also have the grievance of last year to redress, but both teams know this is only the start of a season they hope will stretch to July.
Clare’s failure to beat Waterford last year proved costly, but they got no run in the 2025 league because of injuries. They looked a bit rusty in the 1B final against Dublin and injury raised its head again. Shane O’Donnell was pulled at half-time, partly as a precaution, but Mark Rodgers looked in trouble when going off in the second half. Despite this, Rodgers has been named to start against Waterford while O’Donnell is listed on the bench.
At full strength, their forwards are as good as anyone’s, but Clare don’t have the depth of some other counties.
Waterford had a decent league in terms of performances but got relegated. They were competitive last year, giving Cork an anxious afternoon and beating Clare. I believe they’ll take a scalp at some stage and may well be the cause of the fourth-placed team not qualifying.
This weekend, though, I think Clare will have enough.
The most consequential match of the weekend is likely to be in Salthill. Galway looked transformed in the league, with new players such as Jason Rabbitte and Aaron Niland leaving a big impression, not least for their speed. It will be interesting to see what tone they set on Sunday.
Nobody’s expecting a rerun of the league trimming, as Kilkenny will have had a long, hard reflection on their unusual failure to turn up. They did, in fairness, steady the ship against Tipp in Thurles a fortnight later. They could really do with Adrian Mullen back to complement TJ Reid’s return. Eoin Cody and All Star Martin Keoghan are also important players.
It may be nine years since the province sent out All-Ireland winners, but the Leinster champions sail straight to an All-Ireland semi-final. It’s a much safer passage than the attrition endured by their Munster rivals.
If Galway get into the All-Ireland semi-final with a fresh new team and a bit of wind in their sails, they would be dangerous for anyone. Saturday will tell a tale and it really has to be a happy ending for the home side.
Dublin and Wexford will also be in the mix for a top-three finish, but if Offaly can resolve some of their injuries, they could take points off either. It is also a great tribute to Kildare that they have progressed to Liam MacCarthy level, even if it brings the danger of baptism by fire.
It’s a unique time of year. Everything to play for – for everyone.
