Munster championship health check: how are all five counties shaping up at the midway point?

Declan Hannon Davy Fitzgerald and Tipperary’s Mark Kehoe.

TWO GAMES DOWN and the picture in the Munster hurling championship is starting to look a little clearer.

Limerick are the only team in the provincial round robins to have won all their games so far, while Waterford, Clare and Tipperary all have points on the board. Cork are yet to get off the mark.

Before the Round 3 action commences this weekend, let’s take a beat and look at the health of each team at this remove.

The reigning Munster and All-Ireland champions are in good condition with two wins from two. John Kiely’s side looked to be carrying some of the wobbles that affected them in last year’s competition when they opened their campaign against Clare. For 50 minutes, Clare dominated the tie and their nine-point lead was deserved. But their collapse, coupled with Limerick’s 3-6 in the final quarter, ensured the holders started the series on a brighter note.

Limerick then carried that form into their second outing against Tipperary, thundering to a 2-27 to 0-18 win. Limerick were particularly rampant in the first 20 minutes of the second half, converting a five-point lead into 15-point advantage with a haul of 2-10. The loss of Peter Casey to a nasty broken ankle was the big low-point for Kiely’s side but crucially, a sixth straight Munster final is within reach now.

A win over Cork this Saturday would punch their ticket to the June decider.

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Clare

They had their foot on Limerick’s throat, but failed to choke them out. That nine-point turnaround surely left Brian Lohan’s side smarting, particularly the Aaron Gillane goal which was created by a completely unmarked Gearóid Hegarty.

A second loss on the bounce was on the cards against Cork when they drifted into a seven-point deficit at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Mark Rodgers, Shane O’Donnell and David Fitzgerald all raised green flags to complete the Clare response and come away with a crucial two-point win. That they achieved that result without Tony Kelly — who had a brief second-half cameo against Limerick — is an added boost.

That win over Cork sent a relieved Clare into a three-week break, but they will resume activity against a buoyant Waterford side on 19 May. Tipperary, who revived their Munster championship with a hard-earned draw against the Déise, await Clare in their final game.

Waterford’s Dessie Hutchinson.

Waterford

After struggling to adapt to the round-robin format since its introduction in 2018, Waterford finally look more assured in the competition. A win against Cork and a draw with Tipperary currently puts them in Munster final territory, second only to Limerick on the table.

Those results were also the antidote to a challenging period in which Waterford stuttered through the league on the back of some big-name departures including Austin Gleeson and Conor Gleeson. Rumours of discontent in the camp were closely associated with the difficulties, but that dark stretch appears to be behind them.

There will be some disappointment at how they handled the home stretch against Tipperary, relinquishing a four-point lead twice when back-to-back victories were in the offing. Stephen Bennett’s penalty had a fortuitous look to it as well, given that referee James Owens mistakenly ran across the penalty area at the moment of the strike. Overall though, Davy Fitzgerald will be content with the measure of his side’s effort so far. They’re on leave this weekend but will have a tricky run to the finish, facing Clare and Limerick in their last two games.

Tipperary

Their opening round defeat to Limerick signalled the worst for Tipperary in this year’s Munster championship, but they found a pulse against Waterford. A point on the board has them up and running although they have the worst scoring difference of -15.

A poor performance in the league semi-final suggested things might be off, and a feeble display against Limerick in their Munster opener confirmed it. Liam Cahill was in prickly form after Tipperary managed just nine points from play in that game, saying that his troops were “hurling in hope”. He also assured that there would be “consequences” in terms of personnel.

The players certainly absorbed his stinging rebuke, producing a late desperate surge to earn a draw against Waterford. It was the seventh draw in the history of the Munster round-robin but it felt more like a win for Tipperary. It could have even been a victory for the Premier had key refereeing decisions favoured them. There were arguments that Stephen Bennett’s penalty should have been retaken after James Owens ran across goalkeeper Barry Hogan’s eyeline at the moment of the strike. Mark Kehoe also had a penalty call denied.

Cork, who are at the bottom of the Munster table, are up next on 19 May before a tricky home tie against Clare to finish out their series.

Cork

The only side with no points to their name after the first two rounds, Cork are in trouble. And there’s more danger ahead as Limerick arrive in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday evening. Nothing less than a win will do to keep them in contention before their final game against Tipperary.

Their opening round defeat to Waterford was a battle up to the final whistle but Pat Ryan’s side will be displeased with the Clare result. Leading by seven points just after the break, they were overturned by three goals along with the sending-off of their captain Seán O’Donoghue. They were struck by indiscipline in the first round too following the dismissal of Damien Cahalane.

Cork scored late goals in both ties — Alan Connolly against Waterford, and Pat Horgan and Robert Downey v Clare — to ensure dramatic finishes, but it wasn’t enough to prevent back-to-back losses.

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