*David Fitzgerald brushes past Will O’Donoghue. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
After a lacklustre league we were treated to a great final as Waterford put on an exhibition of hurling. Waterford will be delighted to have added silverware under Liam Cahill’s reign but after last years All Ireland final drumming on top of another heavy final defeat, where does this leave Cork?
Clare had a positive if ultimately unfortunate year last year, losing out narrowly to Cork after a heart-breaking loss to Tipperary where a dodgy refereeing decision was to blame.
Let’s see where each team vying for Liam McCarthy currently ranks.
Tier 1
1: Limerick
There can be no arguments with Limerick being number one, and truthfully, they remain in a category of their own. Limerick dominated last year’s championship culminating in a 16-point thrashing of Cork in the All Ireland final. They earned 12 All-stars and were never really challenged by any team for a full 70 minutes. While their league form was underwhelming, it would be foolish to read too much into it.
However, one serious cause for concern for Limerick is their discipline. Last year they got away with a number of clear red cards. In this year’s league, that seems to be changing as referees seem to be holding them more accountable. One would imagine this is an issue that would be easily addressed by management, but the prevalence of indiscipline throughout their league campaign could be a sign that they are struggling to address it, meaning it may remain a factor come championship time.
Tier 2
2: Waterford
There has been a lot of talk of Waterford’s strength, and belief is clearly strong in the county that they are ready to challenge Limerick this year. Waterford have a strong panel and play a high tempo game. They’ve gotten physically stronger and seem more comfortable in carrying out Cahill’s game plan this year. After a big league win last weekend, confidence will be high.
However, I don’t think they are as close to Limerick as they might believe. Clare beat Waterford in last year’s championship and any team in tier two would fancy their chances against them.
3: Clare
I’ll be accused of Clare bias by ranking our lads at number three, but I believe Clare should be at this level. Clare have been written off consistently by pundits inside and outside of the county. That should light a fire under our players. Last year Clare beat Waterford in the first round and were subsequently beaten by both Tipp and Cork. We were victim to a brutal refereeing decision against Tipperary which changed the game in their favour.
Against Cork in the Gaelic Grounds we were narrowly beaten by a better side on the day. However, we had a glorious chance to win the game at the end. Clare will be bolstered from that day with the addition of Shane O’Donnell, Peter Duggan and the emergence of Shane Meehan. There is still one nagging concern for me, which is that I would far prefer to see Conlon positioned in the forwards rather than at centre back. Munster is extremely competitive, but Clare has the ability to qualify as one of the three teams to progress.
4: Galway
While Joe Canning stepping away will be a big blow for the tribesmen, this will give a chance to others to fill the void and step up in their own right. Conor Cooney’s form had slumped slightly in the last couple of years but if he can bring his recent club form to county level he could become Galway’s marquee forward. Henry Shefflin is a great appointment for Galway hurling and I was impressed with them in the league this year. Galway are in a good position to go on and win Leinster this year.
5: Cork
After reaching last year’s All-Ireland final and this year’s league final people may be surprised at Cork not being ranked higher. My reasoning is that Cork went down badly in last year’s All-Ireland against Limerick. While Limerick were operating on a different level to any team in history, it wasn’t the amount they lost by, but the lack of fight which was my biggest concern. Limerick physically bullied Cork and when different flashpoints arose during the game, it was always the Limerick players who seemed more aggressive and dominant despite their large scoring lead throughout.
Tier 3
6: Kilkenny
After dominating the game for so long, Kilkenny have had a few years now of being away from the very top table. Kilkenny still have super hurlers and TJ Reid has consistently been one of the top players in the game even as his peers retire. Under Cody they are capable of a huge performance on any given day: they remain the last team to beat Limerick in Croke Park. That said, I do not see them putting a string of results together to get to an All-Ireland final this year.
7: Tipperary
Tipperary are going into a year of transition. Some of their marquee names are coming towards the end of their careers and others have already been forced to call it a day. They failed to introduce the under 21 All-Ireland winning teams over the past couple of years and instead favoured the core group which won them the All-Ireland in 2019. Colm Bonnar’s objective for the season will be to bring in new players who can challenge for honours in the coming years.
8: Wexford
Wexford have followed a downward trajectory over the last couple of years. Under new management there is cause for optimism as they may favour a more dynamic gameplan. There are some quality hurlers in Wexford, and Rory O’Connor has now established himself as one of the best in the country. They had some decent results in the league, most notably, the victory over Limerick in Wexford. Darragh Egan will be hoping they can take that into the championship and take some scalps.
Watch the Full-Time Highlights of @Galway_GAA v @OfficialWexGAA in The Allianz Hurling League here! #GAANOW pic.twitter.com/uXUWGWuiuf
— The GAA (@officialgaa) February 27, 2022
Tier 4
9: Dublin
Despite the resources available to them, Dublin have so far failed to challenge meaningfully at the business end. If they could qualify from Leinster that would be a good result for them. However, I think Galway, Kilkenny and Wexford will keep them at bay for another year.
10: Laois
Laois made good progress under Eddie Brennan in recent years but seem to have gone back to a more defensive approach.
11: Westmeath
Westmeath had a big win in the Division 2A this year. They will hope to build on that success in this year’s championship and should be targeting their game with Laois to achieve this.
