The All-Ireland hurling championship starts this weekend with round robin games in Munster and Leinster. No doubt about the top billing, that’s the meeting of Tipperary and Cork in Semple Stadium, Thurles at 4pm on Sunday. You can be sure Cork will be hoping to finish the job they started at Croke Park in the All-Ireland final last July. At half-time Cork seemed to be in charge and had a six-point lead. But the Rebels scored only two points in the second half and Tipp won comfortably on a score of 3-27 to 1-18.
Naturally we had rumors of a row in the Cork dressing room at half-time, which proved to be unfounded. But manager Pat Ryan, who had earlier lead Cork to win the National League and Munster final, quit and was replaced by Ben O’Connor. Two weeks back Cork qualified for another National League final, but were beaten by Limerick.
After that defeat, O’Connor said: “We got exactly what we wanted out of the league, only we didn’t get the cup. We got game-time into every fella, we have got a good buzz in the group going because every fella is getting game-time.
When the counties met in the National League at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in early February, Cork won by seven points. But over the decades League form doesn’t count for much when it come to the Munster championship and Tipp against Cork in Semple Stadium can certainly be described as the ‘‘white heat of the championship.’’
Also in Munster Clare, recently crowned Division 1B, champions will probably start as fancied to beat Waterford in Ennis. Waterford were relegated from the top division last month, but they have been known to come up with good performances in the Munster Championship.
In Leinster the big one is the meeting of Galway and Kilkenny in Pearse Stadium. Last month Galway beat the Cats by 18 in a league game in Salthill. Doubt if we will see a similar score on Saturday. Two other hurling games in Leinster on Saturday with Offaly playing Dublin in Tullamore and a rare championship meeting between Kildare and Wexford in Newbridge.
