Draw puts Cork and Kerry on Munster final collision course

Kerry will hope to stretch their unbeaten record in Munster under Éamonn Fitzmaurice to 13 games when they face Clare or Limerick in a provincial semi-final next May.

Not since their five-point loss to Cork in the 2012 semi-final have Kerry lost in the province, their return since then reading 12 wins and one draw.

Last night’s televised 2018 championship draw, completed by Munster Council chairman Jerry O’Sullivan, means the province has been split in the same manner as last year. As Cork won through to this past season’s final, they were rewarded with a semi-final bye, where Ronan McCarthy will make his championship debut as manager against the winners of Tipperary and Waterford. It will be the fourth consecutive season Clare and Limerick will face off in the provincial championship, the third year in a row the victors will take on the Kingdom. The duration of the competition is also set to be cut to just four weeks.