Home advantage gives Clare edge

After Kilkenny’s weekend demolition job on highly-rated Dublin in the Leinster SHC semi-final many hurling pundits wondered if that was it, if everyone else is now just playing for second place.

Well, after Tipperary’s Wednesday demolition job on highly-rated Waterford in the Munster MHC semi-final many people are now wondering the same thing — in this year’s minor championship is everyone else (and not just in Munster) now playing for second place?

Clare are Munster champions for the last two years. But with only four of last year’s team available (keeper Eibher Quilligan, captain Shane O’Brien, corner forward Shane O’Donnell and third-year veteran Jamie Shanahan) it’s going to be a tall order. In fact they’ll be doing well just to get over Limerick this evening. In their opening round they lost a mighty contest against Waterford in Ennis, but only after extra-time, Bobby Duggan their man that night. They recovered from that to easily dismiss the challenge of Cork a week later and qualify for this semi-final.

Limerick too have beaten Cork but only by a single point (0-16 to 1-12), which suggests Clare have the advantage here, at home especially. There’s more to it than that, however.

Limerick have six of the starting 15 that lost an extra-time thriller against Waterford last year and though Shane Dowling and Mark Carmody are gone, there’s a far more balanced look about them now. Wing forwards Ronan Lynch and Cian Lynch are both U16, Bruff team-mates Shane Irwin and Brian Finn were outstanding in the win over Cork, while centre-back Barry O’Connell is a star of the near future.

Overall a difficult game to call but home advantage might be just about enough to swing it for Clare.

CLARE (MH v Limerick): E Quilligan (Feakle); S O’Brien (Clonlara), B Carey (Sixmilebridge), G Ryan (Clarecastle); A McGuane (Kilmaley), C Cleary (Miltown) , E Quirke (Whitegate); D Conroy (Doora-Barefield), A Morey (Sixmilebridge); S Taylor (Broadford), J Shanahan (Sixmilebridge), N Deacy (Ballyea); C Deasy (Sixmilebridge), S O’Donnell (Éire Óg), B Duggan (Clarecastle).

LIMERICK (MH v Clare): D Stapleton (Doon); S Irwin (Bruff), R English (Doon), J Carrig (Patrickswell); D Byrnes (Patrickswell), B O’Connell (Kildimo-Pallaskenry), D Dee (Mungret-St Pauls); B Finn (Bruff), K Cleary (Knockainey); R Lynch (Na Piarsaigh), D Condron (Granagh-Ballingarry), C Lynch (Patrickswell); L O’Sullivan (Knockaderry), K O’Brien (Patrickswell), J Kelliher (Patrickswell).