Waterford’s commendable performance in the opening weekend of the hurling championship surely came as a pleasant surprise to its supporters. As a result of the weekend’s events, a Páirc Uí Chaoimh face off involving Clare and Cork now poses a greater threat for both teams than initially anticipated.
Under challenging circumstances, Clare and Cork both suffered defeats, putting them under pressure to recover in the following weekend’s fixtures. In the history of the Munster championship, only one team has managed to pull back from an initial two-match loss, indicating these teams are in a fairly unenvied position.
Clare’s performance against Limerick was notably shaky, as they initially led by six points thanks to Aidan McCarthy, but subsequently lost by conceding avoidable goals. In particular, the defensive issues, including a rather soft second goal and a somewhat lacklustre full-back line, cost them dearly when Gearóid Hegarty had free rein to score the third goal.
It remains undetermined whether any strategic changes will be made or if Tony Kelly will start in future matches. Clare’s performance didn’t match their previous league final and semi-final performance, despite their sizable lead over Limerick. Aside from Shane O’Donnell and Aidan McCarthy, it seemed the momentum from their league victory was conspicuously missing.
Circumstances look dire for Clare, further exacerbated by their history of lacklustre performances against Cork in their home grounds. On the other hand, Cork also showed a somewhat lacklustre performance against Waterford. Despite the unfortunate results, it appears they have stuck with their experienced players.
Manager Pat Ryan faces a significant challenge. Should he completely overhaul his strategy in the wake of a single game? To a certain extent, he’s taken this route by introducing six changes, including benching Mark Coleman, whose performance against Waterford was, in my opinion, not disappointing.
On a bright note, the performance of Alan Connolly and Shane Barrett appeared promising whenever the ball was in their possession. However, their vulnerability at the back did allow Waterford to score just about at their leisure.
The potential offensive threat from Cork, combined with the support of an enthusiastic home crowd, poses a significant challenge to Clare, despite Clare possessing a stronger team overall. However, Clare have recently been plagued by issues related to leadership and composure. While Pat Ryan was tasked with overhauling his team, his counterpart, Brian Lohan faced the challenging job of identifying the problems that surfaced when the tension escalated. Overall, the advantage appears to lie slightly in Cork’s favour.
Meanwhile, it is paramount for Tipperary to switch their focus inward, particularly due to their nosedive of form towards the end of the league, which left their supporters uncertain of the team’s strongest lineup. For Liam Cahill, the task isn’t any less complex, but his brave choice to enlist numerous young players may pay off.
It has been seen how a league with heavy rotation at first ended in disarray, particularly after Clare’s havoc-wreaking semi-final game. During the league, there was a constant switch amongst three different centre backs, finally resting on Bryan O’Mara during the recent weekend.
Tipperary potentially stands a chance to compete, given Limerick’s noticeable dip in form. However, this would call for a stellar first performance, akin to last year’s. Despite keeping up the competition after their initial game, Tipperary fell to a surprise defeat against Waterford, which subsequently cost them a Munster final. Yet it was observed last week that Waterford still possess that capability for an upset.
Post this weekend, one hopes for clarity on the formation of Tipperary’s team, something Liam Cahill would appreciate following the Clare league defeat which was characterised by individual performances from players looking to solidify their spots, rather than collective effort. Noteworthy forwards such as Jake Morris, Gearóid O’Connor, Mark Kehoe and Jason Forde, provide scoring potential to Tipperary, with Seán Hayes proving to be a valuable newcomer. Despite Limerick underperforming last Sunday, Clare had to exert significant effort for their scores. Replication of such a performance by the champions may have Tipperary doing considerable damage.
One hopes to see Tipperary asserting dominance, particularly during Limerick’s puckouts, considering their knack for scoring when they build up momentum. Although it offers comfort to have additional support at the rear when playing against them, teams might fare better with a more aggressive approach, further up on the field.
Limerick’s effortless achievement of last week’s goals, without needing to truly exert themselves was notable, despite there being no assurance of a similar performance in the future. Nonetheless, the vitality displayed by the backup team was highly commendable. It was hard to foresee a win for Tipp, given they haven’t been properly challenged and Limerick’s recent domination, particularly in the third quartile and final stretch. Yet, Tipp is expected to provide stiff competition.
In the case of Salthill, the potential worth of gauging the performance of Kilkenny and Galway in what is often their practice run for the Leinster finale took a hit when injury led to Derek Lyng having to proceed without three of his key players. Inspite of this, Lyng was unperturbed about rolling out his team sans his big players during the league, leveraging it as a chance to gauge the depth of his squad.
Galway’s performance in the league was understated, leaving barely any noticeable mark. Similarly to Cork, many of Galway’s players are familiar faces. This weekend might provide some clues as to any impact made by Henry Shefflin and Eamon O’Shea, the latest season’s fresh coaching recruit, on the team’s performance. Until then though, it is challenging to form a solid opinion about Galway’s direction.