KILLINAN END - The Heat is on

Sometimes you wonder what exactly the point of is the hurling championship? Or at least if there’s a need to have one every year.

It seems like Wexford will forever find a way to not beat Dublin (they have not won in four attempts since 2018). Clare’s tendency to be infected by goalkeeping wobbles in their first match in just one match away from a pattern. Cork rinse and repeat yet again. Such repetition would not do wonder for optimism ahead of Tipp’s trip away to the home of the jolly green giants.

The worth of Limerick in a broader sense hardly needs recall but quite where they are at remains a little unclear even after their win in Ennis. Essentially, they won that game with twenty minutes hurling though the second-half surge is not a new departure – the final third of last year’s All-Ireland Final saw their opponents submerged by a deluge of scores too. We will long remember the 2021 Munster Final and the first half of that year’s All-Ireland too where it seemed there was no limit to the number of scores that could be recorded when they were in the zone.

Yet, the sense is that it was as much a game that Clare let slip as one that Limerick won because their hurling was irresistible. The absence of marking of Gearóid Hegarty ahead of Limerick’s third goal was a desperate lack of concentration, and the second goal was poor enough too. Kudos to Aaron Gillane for the first goal where a vital touch turned it into a lottery for the goalkeeper.

Nonetheless, the sense that Clare can find a way to lose in key matches remains just as much as Limerick’s tendency to win them. Scores tend not to flow as freely for Saffron & Blue when they are in the ascendancy. It is also notable how many of the Clare team are around the 30 age-bracket or over. They might need to do something soon.

But next Sunday in Cork will not be a walk in the Páirc by any means. By Monday morning Clare could be scrambling for pockets of air in the Munster championship.

The uncertainty regarding next Sunday in the Gaelic Grounds is more around Tipp than the champions. Last year’s campaign seemed good in the early stages yet in the heel of the hunt only one game in Munster was won. The recent National League semi-final was a shocker and contributes to the sense of unease though it was nearly too bad in the end to be admissible as evidence. The fixtures have not been kind to Tipp with the first two games away from home even if there might be mixed evidence on the significance of venues in the championship.

Past experience suggests that Tipp are as well off playing Clare in Ennis, or Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, as they are in Thurles. Nonetheless even at a psychological level it makes these away games tricky and coming together creates the capacity for either triumph or disaster in a short time.

Tipp must do as they did at the end of last year’s campaign in playing Limerick and Waterford in consecutive weeks. Last year that did not end well with Tipp relatively flat against the Déise. An almighty effort will be required to compete with Limerick and getting back to the business of facing Waterford in one piece just six days later will not be easy.

Waterford have a look of a team that has reverted to type which in their case is a great prospect. Going back even to the old days this is a county which always hurled best when doing it at pace. Their running game caused Cork no end of problems and they will be a huge test for Tipp as well.

The general consensus appears to be that Tipp will do very well to get out of Munster and while that remains to be seen it is fair to say that the result in Ennis suited Tipp if we assume that Limerick are likely to finish on full points anyway. On the other hand, if we hit Limerick with savage intensity and hurl as we can there was little seen in Ennis to fear. The Shannon will flow stronger later in the year.

On the other side of the great divide there’ll be a rehearsal for the Leinster Final down in Salthill. As with Wexford-Dublin this one follows a pattern. By that account Galway will win this game and without putting a tooth in it their manager cannot afford any slip-ups. Galway will also face a trip to Wexford Park which might not be simple either. Who knows what twists and turns await? There might be a bit more riding on this one than a dress-rehearsal for a bigger day.