With five goals recorded across four league games to date, Cork’s record did not exactly jump off the page they headed to Ennis yesterday.
Bettering that overall tally by smashing in six goals over the course of one afternoon hurling against Clare was certainly striking. Cork were terrific in attack, ruthless and explosive, with Brian Hayes, Declan Dalton, and Shane Barrett all in flying form. Their dominance created a surreal sense to the game, a 15-point victory over the team that had conquered them in last year’s All-Ireland final.
Pat Ryan will be warning his team to be braced for a more severe challenge when this pair are locked in championship combat on Easter Sunday. But given he has bemoaned their wastefulness in front of goal, a trio of missed chances against Tipperary was a case in point, Ryan will be pleased to see his forward line in a clinical mood.
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2. Clare face the drop
Last April Clare’s hopes were nourished by the sight of national hurling silverware, landing the league title was a progressive step and the springboard to a greater triumph three months later. They are experiencing the flipside now in 2025, on the cusp of relegation after a fourth loss in this campaign.
Clare need a favour from Limerick to deny Kilkenny any points next Saturday and then hope a set of results on Saturday week kindly alters the scoring difference for them. It’s a tall order and there was a sobering nature to the heavy loss to Cork yesterday.
The true gauge of their standing will arrive in six weeks though, when they renew acquaintances with Cork. Clare needed a strong league in 2024, the same conditions didn’t exist in 2025. Their sights are set higher but they will need to arrest their recent formline.
3. Offaly and Down on the up
The Offaly and Down hurling camps know about those times hurling in the foothills, while all the attention surrounds those at the summit. The Covid years saw Down lose the 2020 Christy Ring Cup final and Offaly win the 2021 equivalent.
Roll on a few years and the weekend just gone brought a splash of colour to their hurling status. Offaly didn’t puck a ball but Carlow’s defeat to Dublin ensured Johnny Kelly’s men will sit at the top league table in 2026. Down made the long trek to Kerry yesterday and squeezed out the two-point win that booked their Division 1B place next season.
The reconfiguration of the league system for this year elevates these promotion achievements. Both can look forward to ties against teams of elite standing next spring.
4. Limerick impress once more
The league has regularly been a useful platform for John Kiely’s Limerick teams. They savoured a Croke Park final victory in 2019 and issued a statement of intent in the 2023 final against Kilkenny, while also collecting the crown in 2020. Saturday’s dismantling of Galway ensures they are still in the hunt this year, a victory in Kilkenny next Saturday will put them in the mix heading into the final round.
Of greater encouragement for Kiely will be the key figures in shaping the win over Galway. Shane O’Brien, Cathal O’Neill, and Aidan O’Connor combined for 1-11 from play. As Limerick seek to refine their offering in the wake of relinquishing their All-Ireland title in 2024, fresh starting options are needed. The signs are pointing towards a squad of real depth being assembled.
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5. Contrasting moods for Tipperary and Kilkenny
They ruled the hurling landscape when sharing out 10 of the All-Ireland senior hurling titles on offer between 2006 and 2016, but Tipperary and Kilkenny have only one to show for their combined output since then. The moods were contrasting for both leaving Nowlan Park yesterday.
Tipperary, bright and energetic, picked up a fourth victory and have put themselves in pole position for a league final place. They’ll appreciate that upturn in fortunes after the bleak results of recent seasons, and will hope the promise of Robert Doyle, Joe Caesar, Sam O’Farrell, and Darragh McCarthy, can translate through to the summer tests.
For Kilkenny it was a difficult encounter and their outlook seems uncertain. Consistently at the top of the Leinster tree, do they have the wherewithal to jump higher? The onus fell on TJ Reid, 38 in November, to inspire yesterday and the importance of Huw Lawlor, Eoin Cody, John Donnelly, and Adrian Mullen, was displayed in their absence from the starting side. Finishing with 12 men compounded matters for Derek Lyng’s team, the red cards were setbacks too hard to absorb.
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Cork's goalscoring power, Clare face the drop, Offaly and Down on the up
1. Cork’s goalscoring power
With five goals recorded across four league games to date, Cork’s record did not exactly jump off the page they headed to Ennis yesterday.
Bettering that overall tally by smashing in six goals over the course of one afternoon hurling against Clare was certainly striking. Cork were terrific in attack, ruthless and explosive, with Brian Hayes, Declan Dalton, and Shane Barrett all in flying form. Their dominance created a surreal sense to the game, a 15-point victory over the team that had conquered them in last year’s All-Ireland final.
Pat Ryan will be warning his team to be braced for a more severe challenge when this pair are locked in championship combat on Easter Sunday. But given he has bemoaned their wastefulness in front of goal, a trio of missed chances against Tipperary was a case in point, Ryan will be pleased to see his forward line in a clinical mood.
2. Clare face the drop
Last April Clare’s hopes were nourished by the sight of national hurling silverware, landing the league title was a progressive step and the springboard to a greater triumph three months later. They are experiencing the flipside now in 2025, on the cusp of relegation after a fourth loss in this campaign.
Clare need a favour from Limerick to deny Kilkenny any points next Saturday and then hope a set of results on Saturday week kindly alters the scoring difference for them. It’s a tall order and there was a sobering nature to the heavy loss to Cork yesterday.
The true gauge of their standing will arrive in six weeks though, when they renew acquaintances with Cork. Clare needed a strong league in 2024, the same conditions didn’t exist in 2025. Their sights are set higher but they will need to arrest their recent formline.
3. Offaly and Down on the up
The Offaly and Down hurling camps know about those times hurling in the foothills, while all the attention surrounds those at the summit. The Covid years saw Down lose the 2020 Christy Ring Cup final and Offaly win the 2021 equivalent.
Roll on a few years and the weekend just gone brought a splash of colour to their hurling status. Offaly didn’t puck a ball but Carlow’s defeat to Dublin ensured Johnny Kelly’s men will sit at the top league table in 2026. Down made the long trek to Kerry yesterday and squeezed out the two-point win that booked their Division 1B place next season.
The reconfiguration of the league system for this year elevates these promotion achievements. Both can look forward to ties against teams of elite standing next spring.
4. Limerick impress once more
The league has regularly been a useful platform for John Kiely’s Limerick teams. They savoured a Croke Park final victory in 2019 and issued a statement of intent in the 2023 final against Kilkenny, while also collecting the crown in 2020. Saturday’s dismantling of Galway ensures they are still in the hunt this year, a victory in Kilkenny next Saturday will put them in the mix heading into the final round.
Of greater encouragement for Kiely will be the key figures in shaping the win over Galway. Shane O’Brien, Cathal O’Neill, and Aidan O’Connor combined for 1-11 from play. As Limerick seek to refine their offering in the wake of relinquishing their All-Ireland title in 2024, fresh starting options are needed. The signs are pointing towards a squad of real depth being assembled.
5. Contrasting moods for Tipperary and Kilkenny
They ruled the hurling landscape when sharing out 10 of the All-Ireland senior hurling titles on offer between 2006 and 2016, but Tipperary and Kilkenny have only one to show for their combined output since then. The moods were contrasting for both leaving Nowlan Park yesterday.
Tipperary, bright and energetic, picked up a fourth victory and have put themselves in pole position for a league final place. They’ll appreciate that upturn in fortunes after the bleak results of recent seasons, and will hope the promise of Robert Doyle, Joe Caesar, Sam O’Farrell, and Darragh McCarthy, can translate through to the summer tests.
For Kilkenny it was a difficult encounter and their outlook seems uncertain. Consistently at the top of the Leinster tree, do they have the wherewithal to jump higher? The onus fell on TJ Reid, 38 in November, to inspire yesterday and the importance of Huw Lawlor, Eoin Cody, John Donnelly, and Adrian Mullen, was displayed in their absence from the starting side. Finishing with 12 men compounded matters for Derek Lyng’s team, the red cards were setbacks too hard to absorb.
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GAA Hurling Talking Points