Gaelic Games

Weekend hurling previews: Allianz Leagues, round two games

Cork v Limerick get top billing under Saturday night lights

Adam English celebrates scoring a point last year and gets a start in Cork on Saturday night. Photograph: Inpho/James Crombie
Adam English celebrates scoring a point last year and gets a start in Cork on Saturday night. Photograph: Inpho/James Crombie
Seán Moran's picture
Seán Moran
Sat Feb 01 2025 - 06:00
Saturday

National Hurling League, Division 1A

Cork v Limerick, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh 7.30 [Live, TG4 Player, TG4 App and www.tg4.ie] – An early season renewal for last year’s barn-burner rivalry. This time it’s Limerick who have the scores to settle, as they face into a year without arguably their biggest influence, Nickie Quaid. Jason Gillane, brother of Aaron, gets the nod for the goalkeeper’s jersey with the rejuvenated Shane Dowling on the bench. Cork had a facile whacking of Wexford to open and have strengthened up again, bringing back a couple of first teamers, Ciarán Joyce and Alan Connolly, while losing Declan Dalton – impressive in Chadwick’s Wexford Park until he managed to get himself red-carded. John Kiely is pushing the reset button with some youthful if not completely inexperienced selections, including five of the 2022 under-20s: Colin Coughlan, Adam English and the entire full-forward line of Donnacha Ó Dálaigh, Shane O’Brien and Patrick O’Donovan. Verdict: Cork

Division 2: Derry v Down, Derry CoE, Owenbeg 2.0; Kildare v Kerry, Cedral St. Conleth’s, Newbridge 1.0. Division 3: Cavan v Sligo, Kingspan Breffni, Cavan 3.0; Wicklow v London, Echelon Park, Aughrim 1.0. Division 4: Monaghan v Louth, Emyvale 2.0.

Sunday

Division 1A

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Tipperary v Wexford, FBD Semple Stadium, Thurles 3.45 – Contrasting starts for the counties. Wexford are down on their uppers with four heavyweight retirements, Liam Óg McGovern, Matthew O’Hanlon, Diarmuid O’Keeffe and a host of other temporary absentees. Simple errors were punished by an eventually ruthless Cork but Keith Rossiter’s side managed to pick up a couple of injuries, including to the experienced Kevin Foley, as well as a red card for Rory O’Connor. Tipp’s espoirs were perfectly suited in Salthill by Galway also trialling players, who the visitors duly ate. It was a typical Liam Cahill league performance, players fit and hungry, and this looks like another appetising fixture. Verdict: Tipperary

Kilkenny v Galway, UPMC Nowlan Park, Kilkenny 1.45 [Live, TG4 App, deferred] – Micheál Donoghue got a sobering read on his resources as he blended some young blood into the team against Tipp and a couple of late goals were needed to take the bare look off the scoreboard – they still lost by 12. “But unless you get that exposure, you’re not going to learn and that’s the truth of it,” said the Galway manager afterwards. It’s not clear what respite is available here except that recent fixtures between the two have been invariably tight – they actually haven’t met in the league for nine years but in the last seven Leinster meetings, only one, the 2022 final, was decided by more than a score. There were two draws, three one-point wins and one by 0-2. Kilkenny had to push hard to beat a second-string Clare last week but got there in the end. Verdict: Kilkenny

Waterford manager Peter Queally and selector Dan Shanahan. Photpgraph: James Lawlor/Inpho
Waterford manager Peter Queally and selector Dan Shanahan. Photpgraph: James Lawlor/Inpho

Division 1B

Carlow v Waterford, Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow 2.0 – For a team that drew a championship match with Kilkenny, getting a draw against Offaly was hardly a scalp but Marty Kavanagh’s remorseless scoring hunted down the result. This is Peter Queally’s first match in charge of Waterford and the expectation is that despite travel absentees and more medium-term injuries he’ll get it done. Verdict: Waterford

Antrim v Westmeath, Corrigan Park, Belfast 2.0 [Live, BBC iPlayer] – Antrim were disappointing last week and never looked likely to recover from a poor start, although James McNaughton and Niall McKenna showed some resistance. The tempest ensured that Westmeath never got to play their crucial match against Laois. They’ll give this a rattle but home advantage can swing it. Verdict: Antrim

Laois v Offaly, Laois Hire O’Moore Park, 2.0 – An edgy encounter between the midland neighbours and a reprise of last year’s McDonagh final, won narrowly enough by Offaly in the end. Laois’s opener was called off but Offaly had a frustrating start against Carlow, squandering opportunities to put the match away. Verdict: Offaly

Division 2: Donegal v Tyrone, O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny 2.0. Division 3: Roscommon v Armagh, King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park 1.0; Division 4: Warwickshire v Lancashire, Páirc na hÉireann, Birmingham 2.0; Fermanagh v Longford, Brewster Park, 1.0.