ONE OF the deliberate components of the new National Hurling League format is that it can very quickly bring the pressure on, even after the opening two rounds. Cork (for obvious reasons) find themselves in that position, as do Clare and Galway – and for them that makes Sunday’s third-round matches feel a little more important than they normally would at the end of February.
Galway are more or less guaranteed their first points when they take on Cork’s development squad in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and also still have a game in hand, as their opening game against Kilkenny was postponed. For Clare, however, defeats to Limerick and then Waterford see them travel to Semple Stadium with plenty of incentive to beat Tipperary – a team they normally have plenty of incentive to beat anyway.
However, manager Mike McNamara has a sort of mini-injury crisis on his hands, and there’s no sign of it clearing up quickly. Centre back Gerry Quinn is available again after missing the Waterford game last Sunday week, having sustained a broken nose at training the evening before, but Tony Carmody, Alan Markham and Colin Ryan are still rated highly doubtful with injury, while last year’s captain Brian O’Connell has also yet to come back.
“We do still have a whole load out injured,” said McNamara. “Gerry is the only one definitely back. They’re able to manipulate the nose back into place, over a period of time, so he’s okay for this Sunday anyway. It’s not a major concern. But it will be later in the week until we have truer picture, and we let the physios get their hands on them.”
Clare’s two performances to date have been ragged, at best. They launched a commendable second-half comeback against Limerick in round one, but still went down 3-13 to 1-18, but were wholly outplayed by Waterford at home in round two, losing by seven points. A third successive defeat would inevitably bring some pressure on McNamara, not that he actually sees it that way.
“Well no. The pressure doesn’t come on until June 21st, when we meet the winners of Tipp and Cork in the Munster championship. They are the pressure days. For now, we’ve an extended panel (of 37 players), and we’re trying to get our first 25 or 24 who can contest the Munster championship, and hopefully further than that even.
“That’s where we are at the moment. Added to that we have a training regime that must be kept in tune with. We must stay focused on the big picture. Along the way we’ll certainly be hoping to pick up some points in the league. And I believe this league is still wide open. There are five games still left to go, and I’ve been saying all along that I think whoever finishes up with 10 points in the league will probably contest the final.”
McNamara has never been a man for excuses anyway, but Clare had trained for two hours the evening before the Waterford game, and also the previous Wednesday and Thursday.
There is some further hope for McNamara in that Tipperary looked far from impressive in their last game against the development Cork squad, despite winning 2-15 to 0-9 in the end. Tipperary share the top spot in Division One along with Dublin (who in fact have the better points difference).
Yet manager Liam Sheedy still has a couple of injured players of his own, including star forward Eoin Kelly, who continues to be troubled by a disc problem in his lower back that is likely to keep him out of action for a few more weeks.
Dublin manager Anthony Daly, meanwhile, has welcomed back three established panellists as he takes his unbeaten league streak to Limerick. Goalkeeper Gary Maguire, centre back Ronan Fallon and wing forward David Curtin, who had been travelling in Australia, returned to training last weekend, including the back-to-back challenge games with two Wexford selections.
There was, however, one injury scare arising from those challenge games as forward John Kelly sustained a knee injury and is therefore doubtful to make the journey to Limerick.
