A lot on the line

KILLINAN END

Whatever the arguments might be regarding the split season, one thing that cannot be said right now - in the middle of the inter-county part of the year - is that there isn’t much to watch. The fixture list overflows, and even peering beneath the surface, you’ll find some remarkable ones, such as a midweek evening fixture in Blanchardstown between the U20 footballers of Down and Wexford. On the same evening, the U20 footballers of Kerry and Roscommon - which you would expect to be of a serious standard - travel to Semple Stadium. This Field of Legends was hardly designed to do full justice to a traditional football pairing, but they will hardly quibble with the standard of the venue anyway. It is worth acknowledging the achievements of the Rossies at the current time: Connacht champions in all three grades - an extraordinary feat for this county that has for so long been in the shadow of Connacht’s big two.

The provincial hurling championships will always raise the spectre of the standards’ debate. Does a county like Waterford suffer from being in Munster? Would they inevitably qualify from Leinster? It seems unlikely they would not have progressed at some stage over the years but the way this championship is going, it is difficult to be overly persuaded about anything. Are all of Waterford’s recuperative powers in the second half against Tipperary, and their competitiveness against Cork in Walsh Park, really more persuasive than the form of Kilkenny or Dublin, or even Offaly? Would you confidently back Waterford to win in Wexford Park or Parnell Park?

This championship weekend will be pivotal if not quite conclusive. The Déise head to the Gaelic Grounds still with a technical chance of progressing in the championship. That’s the good news for them. The bad news is that the home team is still very much in need of a couple of points, and Waterford are shorn of a few players through injury. Logic suggests a struggle for the visitors, but at this stage the tendency is to hedge all bets.

Our own central interest, of course, will be this Saturday evening in Semple Stadium. While both counties have a remaining game after this, there is no looking beyond this round. Tipp will be required to break new ground in beating Clare in Semple in the round-robin era. The record elsewhere is good, with a few wins in Ennis and a now almost-forgotten All-Ireland quarter-final victory down in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 2017. Another loss on home turf is beyond contemplation.

Clare have been good in patches against both Waterford and Limerick but, in truth, do not look great overall. Tipp were patchy too against Cork and seemed at their best only when the game lacked real intensity. The outing against Waterford was an improvement, but again Tipp did best when Waterford stood off them.

The Banner County most certainly will not lack zest for battle. That would be an entry-level requirement for a game of this magnitude. The home team will need to show a level of stomach for the contest not seen since midsummer last year and combine that with the level of hurling they can achieve. It is a big ask and will place huge demands on the team, though they are capable of perhaps even winning well at full capacity. That would require goals against the Clare defence, generally regarded as vulnerable, but all of this is easier said than done.

Not only is the county’s fate in this year’s championship at stake at the weekend, but there is also the reputational matter of last year’s championship victory to consider. The team’s reputation will be diminished if they fail to emerge from Munster this year, and they will be considered fortunate All-Ireland winners if they fail to win any of their first three matches in the following provincial championship. Their All-Ireland medals would salve the wound but in posterity’s reflective moments it will sting.

There is a lot on the line for both teams. In Clare’s case, the sands of time are running out for a team that made such a brilliant contribution in bringing Limerick to the cliff edge a few times and then winning a memorable All-Ireland final two years ago. There is no doubt that under-age potential is bubbling under in both counties, but at senior level one of these ships will be taking on a lot of water very soon.

Time may prove this to be a more significant game for Tipp, as Clare will play an already-qualified Cork in the last game. While Cork will hardly want to lose in front of their own hordes by the Lee, they might be at less than fever pitch. Meanwhile, Tipp have to enter the lion’s den on the Ennis Road, where nothing will be easy. Much to ponder, and even more on the line in Thurles.