It was a shame you accidentally deleted your post from 28 days ago trying to post that.
I am very understanding of such Gremlins in the forum system as Iâve been a victim of them many times, and indeed my user name is a giveaway as to the empathy I have for posters who suffer in this manner.
True but heâd want to sort his own game out first. Heâll be lucky to be starting all things being equal.
Looked a lot better player when he first came on the scene. But hasnât developed physically from what I can tell, doesnât look like a guy who likes the gym. Comes alive with ball in hand, but workrate is questionable and i wouldnât have him down as a leader who gets cork scores when they are in the trenches like Harnedy.
Will do well to hold on to his place longer term imo. Expect Barry Walsh will end up in full forward line this year.
Told you @Turenne
He got a great hook/block in on Nash in his own full back line after tracking him the whole way back the pitch in the second half in the league final. Interested to see if cork go back to three up top and langering as far as they can for the championship. I presume they will and Walsh will be a serious addition to the langerball gameplan.
Any chance these lads will be âat their bestâ when it matters though?
They wonât be langering ball into the Tipp sweeper so will need another plan for that game. Back to Langerball v Limerick certainly
Aside from Limerick who I strongly fancy to progress from Munster and Waterford who you couldnât envisage accumulating more than 3 points itâs very difficult to separate Tipp, Cork and Clare. Tipp have never advanced from Munster with this set of fixtures (2018, 22â and 24â) although having both Cork and Clare at home is an advantage. Thurles isnât quite the neutral ground it used to be with fewer championship games taking place there than 10 years ago. But I just canât countenance Cork not making it out of Munster and this is very much the dying sting of the Clare 93-94â born crew before the overhaul of the team to let the young guns blossom. Tipp will win plenty in the coming years but may not keep it between the two ditches long enough in 2026 to have a crack off Croke Park.
- Limerick (Champions)
- Cork
- Clare
- Tipp
- Waterford
Limerick will definitely come through. But itâs a dogfight after that. Bubbles reckons itâs Limerick, Tipp and Clare. Bubbles is an astute caller of the game so Iâll go with that.
Tipp (A) and Limerick (H) is a devilishly tough start alright. Although even if they lose those two theyâd still feel they have it in their hands to progress with 2 wins against Waterford and Clare. I havenât got around to listening to the OTB boys predictions yet. Mullane and Pat Ryan will be interesting too. Mullane was very pessimistic about Cork last week.
Hearing a rumour that Willie Connors is out. Declan Dalton may actually puck a ball Sunday.
This is the fourth year in a row Clare have had a home game on the opening weekend and in the previous three, theyâve failed to win any of them.
Clareâs overall round robin statistics on opening weekend are Lost 3 Drew 1 Won 1. Strangely, in the three years they lost on opening weekend they qualified, while in the two years they avoided defeat on opening weekend they failed to qualify. Clareâs sole opening weekend win from five attempts was an unimpressive one point win at Walsh Park in 2019.
There is a clear pattern with Clare where they start slow and then steadily gather momentum. In all six round robins to date, Clare have won their final fixture.
Conversely, Waterfordâs best performances in the round robin tend to come early. In three of the last four years theyâve won their opening fixture and in the other one gone very close to beating Limerick.
Waterfordâs opening weekend record is Won 2 Lost 2 with the two defeats being by 1 and 2 points respectively.
I wouldnât be overly surprised if Waterford spring a shock here.
This is the key really.
Tipp are a bit like the legendary Indian batsmen Rahul Dravid nicknamed The Wall. It was said about him that you needed to get his wicket early or it would be long, traumatising day for the opposition bowling attack. Once he was in, that was it.
History shows that you really need to take Tipp out early too or be prepared to be traumatised in Croke Park later in the year.
I dont think Limerick are anywhere near the certainties to make it out of Munster as some are making it out to be. Thereâs a fair chance weâve seen the best of them this year already, and theyâll be up shit creek and 0/2 after their trips to Cork and Ennis. They are an aging team with little depth which is generally a recipe for disaster with 4 games in 28 days. They may well still get there but it wont be a formality.
Clare are a team that I like and are coming in fairly unexposed. They have a lovely âtoe inâ to the Championship next Sunday at home to Waterford. Then two weeks off before Limerick at home again. They expended fuck all energy all spring. Last year was a shitshow, but sometimes its better to just crash and burn quickly when its not your year. Despite being on the floor after losing to Tipp and being out of the championship, the fact they went to the GG and beat Limerick out the gate showed a fair bit about their character. I expect them to qualify and probably make a Munster Final.
Cork were a mess in the League Final and look inferior to 2025, but they should still make it through. They have too much quality and depth not to, with two games in Astro Turf Pairc Ui Chaoimh almost banker material.
I give Waterford no chance of qualifying but they do have enough about them to take a scalp somewhere along the way.
I think it might come down to Limerick v Tipp in the last game as to who gets third, with Limerick having the chance to knock out Tipp on H2H. Iâll give a hesitant nod to Tipp despite the fact we are always vulnerable in Limerick and seem to be only pissing about all spring.
Clare (Munster champions)
Cork
Tipperary
Limerick
Waterford.
Another back door AI for Tipp.
Will tipp play a zonally fourth man in the half back line again Sunday? Iâd doubt it in their own back yard with doubts over Willie Connors aswell.
Given they made shite of everyone last season, why would they change?
Maybe but in even years with the fixtures like this, Clare have depended on away victories over Tipp (3/3) and Cork (2/3).
I think theyâll find it harder to get anything from those fixtures this year. The sequence of away victories in the Tipp v Clare fixture (6/6) has to break some time.
I also donât think last year was particularly a âshitshowâ for Clare, I think it was probably an accurate reflection of their new normal after winning the All-Ireland.
Clare absolutely maxed out the performances of their key senior players to reach the summit in 2024 and I donât think those players can reach those heights again.
Oh! Weâll have to bookmark that oneâŚ
I think Tipp Vs Cork is huge. Loser of that will really be fighting a rearguard action. Cork could implode if they lose it.
I donât like Limerick not playing the first weekend.
Youâve a big advantage coming in after a proper championship tussle than coming in cold.
Limerick have the two away first. Tough going.
Hard to believe how under the radar tipp are as Ireland champions.
You could make a case for and against any of them really.
Looking forward to it. Sun always shines on the Munster championship so that will be nice as well.