The summer is still coming so let's start the year on a happy note and say that all right-thinking hurling people should be cheering the GAA president Jarlath Burns for suggesting that the All-Ireland finals might return to their traditional September dates. We’ll revisit this matter at a later time.
The Leinster Championship sneaks under the radar with some low-key fixtures. Kilkenny play Antrim and Galway play Carlow with the bookmakers taking no bets on the outcome of either.
There are more long-term consequences when Wexford play Dublin at Chadwick’s Wexford Park. If Leinster was a horse-race then these two would be an each-way bet for third place, depending on Sunday’s result.
Hurling Nation gives it to Wexford by a nose.
If the Leinster Championship is sneaking under the radar, parading on centre stage is Munster.
Waterford host Cork, and the whispers from Waterford are bleak. Crowds are expected to be low and expectations are lower.
Funny, it's seven years now since Waterford put 4-19 past Cork in front of 72,000 people in the All-Ireland semi-final. Back then, Waterford people complained that their manager Derek McGrath was too defensive.
They lost the All-Ireland final by the width of a goal to Galway. The previous year, Waterford hammered Galway in the All-Ireland Under-21 Final. Since then, Ballygunner have become one of the finest club teams in the country.
Waterford have had a few managers since, and each have gone away carrying the can for the county's failures. Maybe there's something deeper amiss.
Cork had a league campaign which was interesting and sometimes very good.
For this Sunday, Mark Coleman makes a welcome return to the Cork defence, and in attack, the addition of Alan Connolly to the full-forward line has given a developing team another potent weapon.
History has taught us that it's never wise to underestimate David Fitzgerald, and surely Walsh Park counts for something, but we expect Cork to win, and Davy to draw fire.
The headliner of the weekend and the spring is the showdown between Clare and Limerick in Ennis.
Clare, under Brian Lohan, have been banging on the door without ever kicking it down. On Sunday, they appear to have everything they've craved. A fair crack at Limerick at home in the high-pressure noise box of Cusack Park, a league title still fresh, Tony Kelly on the way back and a good blend of fine young players and established old hands.
For the Banner, Sunday is a chance to smash through that door and make a statement. However, Limerick are on the foothills of their five-in-a-row campaign. For once, we're not sure about them.
Caroline Currid, the sports psychologist, often described as a second mother to many of the players, is gone. The league exit to Kilkenny was tame. They've been on the road a long time.
Defeat in Cusack Park would not end their summer, but they don't want to be wounded. Blood in the water could send the sharks of Tipp, Cork and maybe even Waterford into a frenzy. We can't wait for this one, and picking a winner is almost too much to bear.
Nonetheless, the sentiment of Hurling Nation is that the Treaty have enough guardians at the gate to keep Clare on the doorstep.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
