1. Cork and Waterford face early season showdown
Championship hurling will begin for Waterford and Cork in April in Walsh Park when the pair facing off in their opening Munster test. Yet before that on Sunday week they will meet on Leeside, a game that has now assumed greater significance than a mere league dress rehearsal.
Davy Fitzgerald and Pat Ryan both saw their teams slip to one-point defeats over the weekend. The scorelines were nearly identical, 0-20 to 1-16 in Waterford’s case, 0-21 to 1-17 in Cork’s. With top three placings a key prize in this year’s league, defeats are brought into sharper focus.
Cork’s sense of urgency is greater after suffering a second loss on the bounce, Waterford can point to a lengthy injury list of staggering misfortune and they have the consolation of having won their opener against Offaly. But the last game in the month of February will be important to both teams in pursuit of a victory. Waterford host Wexford and Kilkenny in March, while Cork travel to meet Offaly and Wexford.
2. Carlow and Laois set the pace
The stakes have also been raised considerably in the second tier of the hurling league. The prize for the top two teams in Division 2A is spots in next year’s revamped Division 1B, a group that will contain a few genuine heavyweights. In that context, the start made by Carlow and Laois is notable.
They’re both top and unbeaten after two games,.Carlow saw off Meath by 12 points to go with their earlier success over Kerry, recording the same tally of 3-22 in both matches. Laois have overcome Down and Kildare. The pair have already set a brisk pace that leaves everyone else in chase mode. Next on the fixture list? Laois host Carlow on Saturday 24 February, in a battle of table-toppers.
3. Clare make early push in league
For all the major strides Clare have made under Brian Lohan’s stewardship, silverware has been absent. They have participated in epic Munster finals and All-Ireland ties, but in 2024 a return for efforts will rank high in the aims. There are bigger championship fish to fry, but a league title would be a decent start and picking up maximum points from their first two outings will please Lohan.
They packed a powerful third-quarter punch to take down Cork in their first game, then they hit the road to win away to Waterford yesterday. Their opponents were plagued with injuries, but Clare are coping themselves without Tony Kelly and Shane O’Donnell, plus Mark Rodgers was rested after hitting 0-11 the previous week and squeezing Fitzgibbon Cup activity into his hectic schedule.
A solid start for Lohan’s side, in what he termed ‘a good, tough robust game’. Aidan McCarthy top scored with eight points, while Cian Galvin, Sean Rynne and Patrick Crotty all impacted in the scoring stakes, players targeting more prominent roles this year.
4. Kilkenny and Tipperary sharpshooters
Tipperary and Kilkenny were dominant in the hurling landscape for so long, but both counties have seen some of their greatest players slip into retirement in recent times. The past off-season was no different, the departures of celebrated names like Seamus Callanan and Richie Hogan standing out. The weekend brought the nourishment of league wins for both sides, and reminders that they still have scoring class.
Gearoid O’Connor was the star of the show in Semple Stadium yesterday, he bagged 1-13 in a freescoring showing for Tipperary. That maintained his rich run of form, firing 0-8 midweek as UL’s Fitzgibbon Cup three-in-a-row ambitions remained intact. Down in Cork on Saturday night, Kilkenny saw Eoin Cody light up the venue early on with his scoring exploits and he was joined by Adrian Mullen who started steadily before exploding to life when his team required it most. A combined haul of 0-12 represented a fine evening’s work.
5. Limerick build up for bigger tests
There was a ripple of surprise in the score updates from Mullingar yesterday, Westmeath holding a 0-14 to 0-12 advantage during the second half against the kingpins of the game. Limerick came good in the end, Donnacha Ó Dálaigh’s goal helping achieve a six-point success. After pulverising Antrim last week, they are now two from two in this league run.
Limerick’s sights are set on bigger things in the year of their drive for five. The league is not the trophy they desire, but they have still warmed up satisfactorily in their results. Dublin, Tipperary and Galway are their upcoming assignments. Steadily bigger tests await John Kiely’s team as they build towards the real business
