Munster Senior Hurling Championship 2023 (Part 1)

[Cheasty]

@peddlerscross

An All Ireland Hurling Semi Final last year couldn’t break 30k.

The Quarter Final’s and Leinster Finals were terrible crowds/spectacles last year.

So far in Munster this year, crowds to be fair have held up well but as the year goes on, I think they will fall off as the number of games and cost mounts up.

Instead of the Hurling championship reaching a cresendo as the business end comes in to view, it fizzles out with about 5 knockout games over 3 weekends over a two month period.

Once the round robin finishes on May 28th, that’s essentially it in terms of ‘win or bust hurling’ until Quarter Finals day at lunchtime on a Saturday some time towards the end of June.

What we’ve seen over the last three weeks are century old rivalries playing out in the venues that suit them most.

Crowds flock to rivalry games. But even then, only in certain venues.

Clare’s two big rivals are Limerick and Tipperary. These two teams should always fill Cusack Park. Cork and especially Waterford less so.

Limerick’s big rivals are Clare. Limerick v Clare should always draw a big crowd, especially when it’s in Ennis or Limerick. Geographically speaking it’s the easiest rivalry game for supporters to attend.

Cork should always draw a good crowd at home, especially against Tipp.

Tipp have too many rivalries, and so they aren’t especially excited by hosting any of the other Munster counties. Too many people dislike them for them to return the favour against anybody but Kilkenny. If Tipp are going well they will draw a good crowd at home to Cork or Limerick, but only if they are going well. Semple Stadium is too big in general for round robin games - and that makes Tipp home games less of a box office attraction. Limerick in two weeks’ time might be an exception because it’s nicely set up. Tipp v Waterford likely won’t have much of a crowd.

Nobody considers Waterford a big rival tucked away down there in the corner of the province. Poor oul’ Waterford are forgotten in all this. They feel left out, and they’ll bring about 15 supporters to Thurles to see them play Clare.

The Leinster hurling championship has one plum fixture and one only. That is Wexford v Kilkenny at Wexford Park.

Once you get down to the knockout rounds, you tend to get lesser spotted pairings which aren’t real traditional rivalries, and they’re happening in either Thurles or Dublin. That’s a recipe for half full stadiums.

Clare supporters don’t travel. Cork, Limerick and Tipp do, but their opponents probably won’t

Kilkenny don’t bring big crowds for anybody. Galway will bring a big crowd if they play Tipp and that’s about it. Wexford will bring a serious crowd if they win Leinster, but they won’t be winning Leinster again for a looong time. Dublin? Lolz.

[glasagusban]

What’s the Clare v Tipp rivalry based on? Waterford had a nice rivalry going with cork in the early 2000s.

[Thomas_Brady]

Bringing more games to Cusack park is a huge plus.

[Cheasty]

@glasagusban

What’s the Clare v Tipp rivalry based on? Waterford had a nice rivalry going with cork in the early 2000s.

Geography. But it has mostly been a one way rivalry bar the 1997-2001 period when Tipp got rightly pissed off by Clare’s success.

Clare v Tipp is a box office fixture because Clare hate Tipp, it’s in Ennis, and Ennis has the perfect capacity and atmosphere for a round robin game. If you’re a Tipp supporter, going into the lion’s den in Ennis is an attractive prospect.

Tipp v Clare in Thurles is not a box office fixture to anywhere near the same extent. The stadium is too big, Clare supporters don’t travel in numbers and Tipp people aren’t that exercised by a home fixture against a team with a poor away support.

[glasagusban]

And why don’t Limerick have the same rivalry with Tipp? My perception was always that rivalries between counties like Clare and Limerick towards any of the big three were one way really. Clare may have a fierce rivalry with Tipp from their perspective say, but for Tipp it’d pale to nothing compared to Cork.

[balbec]

Clare hate everyone. Big chip on their shoulder.

[myboyblue]

@balbec

Clare hate everyone. Big chip on their shoulder.

Thats how it should be.

[Cheasty]

@glasagusban

And why don’t Limerick have the same rivalry with Tipp? My perception was always that rivalries between counties like Clare and Limerick towards any of the big three were one way really. Clare may have a fierce rivalry with Tipp from their perspective say, but for Tipp it’d pale to nothing compared to Cork.

Limerick have a one way rivalry with Tipp similar to the one Clare have. Limerick have won four of the last five All-Irelands so Tipp currently take them seriously in the same way they took Clare seriously in the late 90s.

That’s pretty much exactly what I said in my previous post.

Tipp’s most bitter rival is Kilkenny. Their most traditional rival is Cork. Galway would probably be their biggest rival after that because they’ve played them so much in Croke Park since the 80s and it’s a very even rivalry.

[Mullach_Ide]

@glasagusban

What’s the Clare v Tipp rivalry based on? Waterford had a nice rivalry going with cork in the early 2000s.

Nicky laughed.

[caulifloweredneanderthal]

Jason Forde should be available for the Limerick game.

[johnnysachs]

Clare Cork almost a sell out. Only one terrace with tickets available. All stand tickets sold out for Limerick and Tipp. With just terrace tickets available. That one might be highest attendance of the year. Remarkable almost 2 weeks out. The schedule makers couldnt have dreamt up a better scenario with timing of Clare Cork Sunday week at 2 and the draw at the weekend. Chain of thought that it may be worthwhile for Tipp to keep something in reserve for following week as a win against Waterford guarantees progress but Tipp like to take down the big dog over the years and wont be holding back.

[peddlerscross]

That’s the way I’d see it too.

Denis Walsh wrote one of the finest GAA articles ever on Tipp back in the early 00’s.

There was a great line in it,

'by an accident of Geography, Tipperary border 8 hurling counties, by an accident of nature they have never felt inferior to any of them - parity of esteem is the absolute most they’ll give to anyone, Cork enjoying pretty much all of it".

[Julio_Geordio]

@BruidheanChaorthainn

Cork do seem to be getting some big crowds

If you ignore all the things that completely disprove your point, then your point definitely holds up

[BruidheanChaorthainn]

@Julio_Geordio

@BruidheanChaorthainn

Cork do seem to be getting some big crowds

If you ignore all the things that completely disprove your point, then your point definitely holds up

Sure you were saying earlier you can be selective with games you pick.

If you ignore all the games In Leinster the attendances are decent.

[Thomas_Brady]

Only terrace tickets available for Limerick v Cork also… Been like that since last week.

[glasagusban]

It’s almost like there’s huge interest in it and it’s the most successful Munster championship in years.

[SOK1]

It’s a big if, but IF Waterford can beat Clare on Saturday, the final weekend will be absolutely box office.

[pulpfiction]

Be some undertaking from Davy if they can pull that off. It kinda seems like Waterford may have played their shot day 1 against Limerick and have checked out

[StoneCold]

They have a chance if they lock Davy in the dressing room beforehand

[johnnysachs]

The draw at the weekend gives them a more realistic " its in our own hands" scenario. You wouldnt know you might see a kick out of them. Need to start Gleeson at 11. Clare would want to be on their guard but hard to see anything other than a 5 or 6 point Clare win.