If you asked me to name the two best teams in the championship, I’d say without hesitation, Cork and Limerick – Limerick on the basis of what they’ve done and Cork because of their potential.
Which of them is better? There’s no easy answer. I’d say they could meet any day and you could have a different result.
Cork have the advantage of last year and beating Limerick twice, starting with that spectacular evening a year ago in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Limerick subsequently had the winning of the All-Ireland semi-final but having clawed a way back, inexperienced substitutes didn’t finish chances. They included Shane O’Brien, who on the evidence of this year has developed into a different player and has looked the part in the championship so far.
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John Kiely’s team have more to prove. A pedestrian league and a litany of injuries suggested there was no guarantee they would be able to rediscover their best form and the hard edge that made them so formidable.
That jury is still out but there have been signs that things are coming together for them and their best players are returning to action. Aaron Gillane, Dan Morrissey, Cian Lynch and Tom Morrissey all showed pretty good form the last day.
[ Nicky English: Subduing the champions is a big step forward for TipperaryOpens in new window ]
They can logically expect more from Will O’Donoghue and Gearóid Hegarty, so apart from Declan Hannon, whose return to match fitness is unclear, Limerick are getting closer to their best configuration – even Darragh O’Donovan got in some minutes the last day.
There was definite improvement from the Tipperary performance to the Waterford match and they really have something to prove against Cork, who in the past year have simply had their number.
Cork have moved on from last year and put the disappointment of the All-Ireland final defeat behind them to win the league impressively, with pace, ball-winning and goalscoring.
Last year they were able to take Kyle Hayes out of the match on one side and target Diarmaid Byrnes, who was repeatedly turned, which caused problems for Limerick.
Pace is Cork’s key weapon and besides Darragh Fitzgibbon, they have plenty of it all over the place but the full-forward line does the damage. Last year, Brian Hayes and Alan Connolly put massive pressure on the Limerick corner backs, Seán Finn and Mike Casey. That led to goals, which are the team’s calling cards, and Limerick struggled.
They do have issues. Looking at the league final, and against Clare in parts and the championship match with Tipp, there were times when you thought nobody was going to beat them. But Pat Ryan said after the league final that the second half was as badly as the team had played for him at any stage.
The problem is that in both of the matches since, they have done the same thing, whether they have been taking the foot off the gas or something else has been going on like being a man down in Ennis after Shane Barrett’s red card.
There’s a question mark there about whether Cork are as good as we thought. It’s the same team that, having beaten Limerick last year, ultimately didn’t finish the job against Clare.
I think this will be a whirlwind of a match and if you strapped me to the mast for an answer, I think it’s more important for Limerick right now, which is a powerful motivation, even though I expect these teams will meet at least once again this summer.
Waterford have done damage to Tipperary in Thurles in the past, and earlier on Sunday, this promises to be a tricky assignment for Liam Cahill’s team. But at least they have momentum after winning in Ennis, and Darragh McCarthy is back from suspension.
[ Tipperary ride out the storm to leave Clare on the precipiceOpens in new window ]
Waterford have that running style with Jamie Barron, Peter Hogan and Jack Fagan. Stephen Bennett moves up and down and they carry the ball a lot. Coping with that style is a vulnerability for Tipperary, as Clare showed in the second half.
The vulnerability for Waterford is simply that they are too dependent on Bennett for scores.
This is a strong suit for Tipp because they have a few forwards in form: Jason Forde, John McGrath, the up-and-coming Andrew Ormond and Jake Morris, who has been very good all the year.
He has really strengthened up – in all areas. He’s able to come through tackles that previously held him up and assumes a leadership role, as well as shouldering responsibility. Outstanding against Limerick, he really carried the fight to Cork, and while not scoring heavily last week, got on a huge amount of ball and did the right thing with that possession.
This is definitely an opportunity for Waterford to get out of the Munster round-robin for the first time, but Tipperary have the better spread of scorers as well as momentum.
In Leinster, I’m interested to see how Dublin get on in Kilkenny. It really is an acid test for them, and they have impressed me so far. I like their hurling, which is much simpler in terms of its execution – happy, for instance, to take handy scores without hesitation.
This is a big test for them, but it’s a good check for Kilkenny as well after the disappointment of the usually competitive match against Galway. They have looked in decent form, working away off Broadway, which is what Leinster feels like these days.
