County-by-county guide to GAA hurling championship

Munster Hurling Championship

Clare

Manager: Brian Lohan (5th year)

The one county to have consistently troubled Limerick in the past two years, Clare have topped the Munster table both seasons. The problem is that they have neither won a provincial title nor carried that form into Croke Park later in the championship. In Brian Lohan’s fifth year, they look to be maintaining that consistency and captured the county’s fifth national league title, in the process redressing the recent poor record against Kilkenny. Further improvement beckons with Tony Kelly on his way back from long-term injury and Shane O’Donnell just returned.

Best recent championship performance: A year ago, having shipped five goals in the first round against Tipperary, Clare bounced back on a pressure cooker evening in Limerick, inflicting on the perennial front runners their only championship defeat in four seasons – on the way to topping the group.

What’s a good season? Ironically for a team that spent so long pining to return to Croke Park after 2013, Clare have significantly underperformed at HQ in the past two years. Winning their way to the All-Ireland final has to be the target.

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What does their fixture list look like? Rd 1 v Limerick, Cusack Park, April 21st; Rd 2 v Cork, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, April 28th; Rd 4 v Waterford, Cusack Park, May 19th; Rd 5 v Tipperary, FBD Semple Stadium, May 26th.

Cork

Manager: Pat Ryan (2nd year)

Unusually for a Cork team, the recipients last season of much sympathy and hard luck pats on the back for falling narrowly short of qualification, finishing with two one-point defeats and a better scoring difference than Limerick. The league was mixed until the signing-off flourish of successive hat-tricks for former under-20 Alan Connolly, which promises some novelty in an at times staid attack. Mark Coleman is back from injury but the defence still has work to do. Last season is a good base from which to advance but there are only so many one-point defeats that count as hard luck.

Best recent championship performance: At the end of last May, Cork produced their best display of the season in the TUS Gaelic Grounds. Unfortunately, so did Limerick. The outcome was “as good a hurling match as I’ve ever seen,” according to Nicky English but an agonising one-point defeat for Cork.

What’s a good season? Qualification from the province is a must but it would be a fine achievement to disrupt the Limerick-Clare duopoly and reach a Munster final and force a way to the All-Ireland semi-finals.

What does their fixture list look like? Rd 1 v Waterford, Walsh Park, April 21st; Rd 2 v Clare, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, April 28th; Rd 3 v Limerick, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, May 11th; Rd 3 v Tipperary, FBD Semple Stadium, May 19th.

Limerick

Manager: John Kiely (8th year)

The champions’ dominant hold on hurling has been built on an extraordinary consistency plus the ability to ride out bad spells and peak for Croke Park. One more iteration and they make history as the game’s greatest team. It’s a challenge that performance coach Caroline Currid would have played a major role in addressing and which is all the more daunting for her absence. The league semi-final blowout against Kilkenny made uncomfortable viewing and some players are still re-acclimatising after injury whereas Darragh O’Donovan is out for a while. In six extraordinary years, they’ve cleared every hurdle but this is unique.

Best recent championship performance: 2023 All-Ireland final. After a stuttering first half into the breeze, they trailed a battling Kilkenny by five in the 42nd minute but from then, it was full-on Oppenheimer, a swing of 14 points as the champions launched from everywhere to win by nine.

What’s a good season? You don’t get to say this very often but – five in a row.

What does their fixture list look like? Rd 1 v Clare, Cusack Park, April 21st; Rd 2 v Tipperary, TUS Gaelic Grounds, April 28th; Rd 3 v Cork, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, May 11th; Rd 5 v Waterford, TUS Gaelic Grounds, May 26th.

Tipperary

Manager: Liam Cahill (2nd year)

Liam Cahill’s first season registered an uplift, but ended in two demoralising defeats, a shock from Waterford in Munster and by Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final. This season started well and tailed off, culminating in a cuffing in the league semi-final by Clare. Jake Morris and Jason Forde remain quality forwards even if the latter was part of a collective free-taking meltdown against Clare. There is talent but questions about the defensive spine with ambiguity over the identity of goalkeeper and centre back. They can’t be judged purely on the league but the stakes are rising.

Best recent championship performance: There would be claims for the victory over Clare in last season’s opening match but the draw against Limerick was a step change and, although they had to equalise, Tipp were clearly the better team.

What’s a good season? Pacing the team has been a problem with good starts to the last two competitions but poor endings, so reaching the Munster final and an All-Ireland semi-final.

What does their fixture list look like? Rd 2 v Limerick, TUS Gaelic Grounds, April 28th; Rd 3 v Waterford, Walsh Park, May 4th; Rd 4 v Cork, FBD Semple Stadium, May 19th; Rd 5 v Clare, FBD Semple Stadium, May 26th.

Waterford

Manager: David Fitzgerald (2nd year)

Wracked by injuries during the league, Waterford were nonetheless competitive, as when losing to eventual winners Clare by a point, but didn’t make the cut for next year’s Division One. Even though Austin Gleeson opted out for the season, they’re in better shape now with Conor Prunty and Tadgh de Búrca returned to backbone the defence. A year ago on opening weekend, they threw the kitchen sink at Limerick and it nearly worked so a similar frenzy can be expected. David Fitzgerald maintained all through the league that he should be judged on the Cork match. Judgement day approaches.

Best recent championship performance: Waterford’s record in four years of round robin is abysmal: out of 16 matches, two wins and one draw – coincidentally all against Tipp. Having lost last year’s opening three fixtures by almost geometrically expanding margins, they reared up on the last day and beat Tipperary to deprive them of a Munster final spot.

What’s a good season? To qualify for a Munster top three place for the first time in five attempts.

What does their fixture list look like? Rd 1 v Cork, Walsh Park, April 21st; Rd 3 v Tipperary, Walsh Park, May 4th; Rd 4 v Clare, Cusack Park, May 19th; Rd 5 v Limerick, TUS Gaelic Grounds, May 26th.

Leinster Hurling Championship

Antrim

Manager: Darren Gleeson (fifth season)

Gleeson, the former Tipperary goalkeeper, is the longest serving manager in the Leinster SHC. They picked up three points during the provincial campaign last term – drawing with Dublin and beating Westmeath. But they have endured a difficult league this season, in which they lost all five of their games in Division 1B.

Best recent championship performance: 2023 Leinster round-robin win over Westmeath, 4-24 to 1-19. Westmeath entered the Cusack Park encounter on the back of a victory over Wexford, but Antrim staged a stunning display to salvage their place in the competition whilst relegating the Lake County.

What’s a good season? Avoiding relegation to the Joe McDonagh Cup. Antrim will be battling to stay out of bottom spot in the Leinster SHC – as the sixth-placed team at the end of the round-robin will be relegated to hurling’s second tier for 2025.

What does their fixture list look like? Rd 1 v Kilkenny, Nowlan Park, April 21st; Rd 2 v Wexford, Corrigan Park, April 27th; Rd 3 v Dublin, Parnell Park, May 11th; Rd 4 v Galway, Corrigan Park, May 18th; Rd 5 v Carlow, Corrigan Park, May 26th

Carlow

Manager: Tom Mullally (fourth season)

They lost the Division 2A final to Laois but their form in the group stages was strong, winning four of their five games, which was good enough for Carlow to top the table and ensure they will be playing in Division 1B for 2025. Given the manner of their defeat to Laois in that league decider though, Carlow look set to face a difficult task to retain their status in the Leinster SHC.

Best recent championship performance: 2023 Joe McDonagh Cup final win over Offaly, 2-29 to 1-31. Carlow emerged victorious from a titanic battle against the Faithful in last year’s McDonagh Cup final at Croke Park. Martin Kavanagh’s 1-8 went a long way to helping Carlow get over the line.

What’s a good season? Avoiding relegation to the Joe McDonagh Cup. It’s likely that the battle to avoid finishing last in the round-robin series will come down to their fixture against Antrim in Belfast at the end of May.

What does their fixture list look like? Rd 1 v Galway, Pearse Stadium, April 21st; Rd 2 v Dublin, Netwatch Cullen Park, April 27th; Rd 3 v Kilkenny, Netwatch Cullen Park, May 11th; Rd 4 v Wexford, Netwatch Cullen Park, May 19th; Rd 5 v Antrim, Corrigan Park, May 26th

Dublin

Manager: Micheál Donoghue (second season)

It has been an underwhelming couple of years for Dublin under Donoghue so far, and they really need to find a spark during this season’s provincial championship. The Dubs won just two games during the National League – beating Antrim and Westmeath. The return of dead-ball specialist Donal Burke from a long-term hamstring injury is a major boost entering the championship.

Best recent championship performance: 2023 Leinster round-robin win over Wexford, 1-22 to 0-23. Donal Burke scored two injury-time frees to earn Dublin a round three victory over Wexford at Croke Park last May, a win that all but ensured the Dubs would claim one of the top three spots in the table.

What’s a good season? Winning a Leinster title would be a huge achievement for Dublin, whose loftiest ambitions outside of the province are realistically to contest an All-Ireland semi-final.

What does their fixture list look like: Rd 1 v Wexford, Wexford Park, April 21st; Rd 2 v Carlow, Netwatch Cullen Park, April 27th: Rd 3 v Antrim, Parnell Park, May 11th; Rd 4 v Kilkenny, Parnell Park, May 18th; Rd 5 v Galway, Pearse Stadium, May 26th

Galway

Manager: Henry Shefflin (third season)

There is pressure on Shefflin to bring some silverware to the west, having lost consecutive Leinster finals during his time at the helm. Galway’s Liam MacCarthy interests ended at the All-Ireland semi-final stage in both 2022 and 2023. Johnny Glynn has linked up with the squad for the championship and will give the Tribesmen a real aerial presence.

Best recent championship performance: 2023 All-Ireland quarter-final win over Tipperary, 1-20 o 1-18. It wasn’t a classic encounter by any means at the Gaelic Grounds, but Galway showed strong character to survive a Tipp rally and hold out for a place in the last four.

What’s a good season? Rightly so, the aspirations within the dressingroom will be to win the All-Ireland but claiming a Leinster title and getting to the All-Ireland decider would be no bad summer innings for Galway.

What does their fixture list look like? Rd 1 v Carlow, Pearse Stadium, April 21st; Rd 2 v Kilkenny, Pearse Stadium, April 28th; Rd 3 v Wexford, Wexford Park, May 4th; Rd 4 v Antrim, Corrigan Park, May 18th; Rd 5 v Dublin, Pearse Stadium, May 26th

Kilkenny

Manager: Derek Lyng (second season)

It was a significant leap of faith by Derek Lyng to shoulder the responsibility of succeeding Brian Cody as manager of the Kilkenny hurlers in August 2022. But, to his credit, Lyng has managed to keep the team operating at the top level thus far. Still, the All-Ireland title has remained out of reach and that is ultimately what Kilkenny teams are judged on. Injury concerns around key players including TJ Reid and Walter Walsh is not an ideal scenario entering this year’s championship, but Kilkenny remain the team to beat in Leinster.

Best recent championship performance: 2023 All-Ireland semi-final victory over Clare, 1-25 to 1-22. Eoin Murphy made a stunning injury-time save in a game in which TJ Reid scored 0-12 to help Kilkenny advance to the All-Ireland decider.

What’s a good season? Having come up short in the last two All-Ireland senior hurling finals, the only proof of progress for the Cats in 2024 is for them to be parading the Liam MacCarthy Cup through the Marble City come July.

What does their fixture list look like? Rd 1 v Antrim, Nowlan Park, April 21st; Rd 2 v Galway, Pearse Stadium, April 28th; Rd 3 v Carlow, Netwatch Cullen Park, May 11th; Rd 4 v Dublin, Parnell Park, May 18th; Rd 5 v Wexford, Nowlan Park, May 26th.

Wexford

Manager: Keith Rossiter (first season)

It has been an encouraging start to Rossiter’s tenure in charge of his native county. The former Wexford hurler guided them to fourth place in Division 1A of the league, which was enough for the Model County to secure top-flight hurling for 2025. Wexford were unbeaten for their opening four games of the campaign – drawing with Kilkenny, Offaly, Clare – and beating Waterford. They will hope Lee Chin stays injury-free for the championship.

Best recent championship performance: 2023 Leinster round-robin victory over Kilkenny, 4-23 to 5-18. In an epic contest at Wexford Park, the home side produced their best display of the season, to avoid relegation from the Liam MacCarthy, just one week after their worst display in many years when they lost to Westmeath.

What’s a good season? Claiming one of the top three places in the Leinster SHC. The outcome of their opening match against Dublin will go a long way to determining if Wexford will manage to advance beyond the province this summer.

What does their fixture list look like? Rd 1 v Dublin, Wexford Park, April 21st; Rd 2 v Antrim, Corrigan Park, April 27th; Rd 3 v Galway, Wexford Park, May 4th; Rd 4 v Carlow, Netwatch Cullen Park, May 19th; Rd 5 v Kilkenny, Nowlan Park, May 26th

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