Anthony Daly: If everyone fires up front, Clare can get this done

This is a far less experienced Tipp team than the one Clare beat in Thurles four years ago, whereas most of these Clare lads played that day.

Time to lead the line again: Clare need Cathal Malone to rediscover the form of the past two years which evaded him in the league. Photo:INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Roll up, roll up as Waterford arrive into the gladiatorial arena in the Gaelic Grounds this evening for the biggest sporting show in town.

The cages will be thrown open and all hell is expected to break loose as the top gladiators in the game go to war.

It could very well be an epic but I’m still not so sure that this will be the all-out war that everyone expects it to be, especially given the mindset of the strategists directing this battle.

It’s not in John Kiely or Liam Cahill’s nature to hold back, but, let’s be honest, these teams are going to meet again this year, possibly twice, and maybe even three times. So while they will both want to win, do they really want to show their full hand in a game that, in the greater scheme of things, is nowhere near as important as a Munster or All-Ireland final?

I don’t expect much shadow boxing, but I won’t be in total shock this evening if there is. Both managers will be going all out to get the win, but it would be all the sweeter again if the two points can be secured by keeping a rabbit or two in the hat for when the need is even greater.

I hope I’m wrong but if there is any of that thinking in both camps, I would not be surprised if both teams cancel either other out and the standard is nowhere near as high as everyone feels it will be.

Last Sunday against Tipperary proved that Waterford need Austin Gleeson on the pitch for 70 minutes but this game is also ripe for Cahill to hold Aussie back again. He might be thinking, ‘Hi, I might hold on to Aussie for this one and then unleash him against this crowd in a role they don’t expect him to play later in the season.’ That might sound outlandish in game two of a four-team round-robin format but the top managers always want to keep a trick or two up their sleeve.

Whatever happens, this is what the championship is all about, and what we’ve all missed so much over the last two years — the pretenders looking to unseat the kings from the throne in their own castle. Nothing will be won or lost this evening but Limerick are unbeaten in their last six games in the province and are seeking four in a row.

If Cahill wants to hold something back, can you imagine the confidence he and his players would take from this evening if they emerge from the Gaelic Grounds with two points? If Cahill is going full-bull and Waterford secure the victory, they’ll still take just as much satisfaction from the evening.

Kiely has the luxury of being able to sit Kyle Hayes out and not risk him exacerbating his injury. This might be the ideal game to gauge Cathal O’Neill’s mental and physical fortitude. The other side of this coin is does Kiely want to put Waterford back into their box and stop them getting notions that they’re about to unseat the kings?

Apart from both appearing to be the top two teams at the moment, all the conditions are perfect. Limerick will want to put on a show for their own supporters given that this is their first home championship match in three years. Yet after three defeats to Limerick in their last three championship meetings, Waterford’s need is probably even greater.

The most impressive aspect of Waterford’s second-half display against Tipp was how they just blew them away once they stepped on the gas after half-time. Limerick blew Cork to smithereens too but it’s always a different form of destruction with Limerick in the way they grind teams down into dust.

Can Waterford withstand that ferocity? They couldn’t last year and in 2020 but Cahill will find out if they can now. For Kiely and Kinnerk and co, they’ll want a team that was consistently bad in the league to be consistently good from now on throughout the championship.

Inconsistency comes from hunger, or lack of it. Nobody doubts Limerick’s hunger after last Sunday but it’s just human nature when you’re at the top, especially as long as they have been. It took a long, long time for Kilkenny to lose that raw desire but it can often dim when you least expect it to. No matter how confident you appear, doubts
arise from inconsistency, which is why Kiely will want to see his lads back up last Sunday’s display just six days later.

If this was do-or-die knockout stuff, I’d be going for Limerick in a heartbeat. But it’s not, which gives me confidence that Waterford can get something out of the match. That might only be a draw, but that might not be a bad bet this evening in the circumstances.

Tomorrow in Thurles is a different animal altogether, especially for Tipperary. If they don’t get two points in the bag, where else are they going to get them? They might against Cork but it’s hard to see Tipp leaving the Gaelic Grounds with anything.

Tipp just have to win, but do Clare? Yeah. They still have two home games to come but in terms of confidence and momentum, this would set Clare up perfectly for the rest of the round-robin. Lose, and they’re on the backfoot just like Tipp and Cork currently are.

For eight decades, Clare weren’t able to beat Tipp in Thurles in championship but they managed it in 2018. Having that memory so fresh in Clare minds is a massive boost now because the lads know that they did it before and that they can do it again.

This is also a far less experienced Tipp team than the one Clare beat there four years ago, whereas most of these Clare lads played that day. The team also seems very settled at the back. Some people might question some of the players in those positions but at least they’re settled there.

If everyone fires up front, Clare can get this done. They just need Cathal Malone to rediscover the form of the last two years, which wasn’t there during the league. Peter Duggan needs to reach, or get close to, the form which saw him win an All-Star in 2018. Shane O’Donnell is always guaranteed to give you something but it’s still unknown if he can be as effective after suffering such a horrendous concussion setback last year.

Ryan Taylor is meant to be flying while Shane Meehan looks set to start and Patrick Crotty is a serious option, which underlines the depth Clare have now up front. I expect a huge backlash from Tipp but it’s going to be hard for them to pick it up after last Sunday. They have the advantage of a game under their belts but Clare will be fresh and primed.

What gives me even more confidence around Clare’s chances is how well they played against Limerick in the league. It might not have been a great game but Limerick knew that their last game was against Offaly and they needed to get something out of Ennis that afternoon. They did get a draw but Clare went toe-to-toe with them, which may be more of an accurate gauge than we thought it was at the time, especially after Limerick’s display last Sunday. It’s a very hard game to call but I think Clare might shade it.

I expect wins for Kilkenny and Galway this evening but the other game in Wexford Park between the home side and Dublin has the potential to be another absolute cracker. Both sides will be going all out. The losers will be up against the eight-ball but a draw would suit Wexford fine because it would keep Dublin below them and leave them in a good position to at least secure third spot.

At the outset of the competition I fancied Dublin to go down and bag the two points, but the Lee Chin factor has altered my thinking. They were a totally different team last week when he came on and if they can get 50 minutes or more out of him this evening, Wexford will be hard to beat.

The Wexford hordes will be out in droves after last Saturday’s late renaissance against Galway and this won’t be an easy assignment for the Dubs. I liked a lot of what I saw from Dublin in the league but I just think Wexford might have those one or two extra subs that could make a difference in a tight game.

Because in this round robin, inches are as big as miles.