Mid-term report: How Munster Senior Hurling Championship contenders rate so far

It's time for the mid-term report cards to be issued for the five Munster Hurling Championship contenders, who is flying high and who needs to up their game for the final exams

Sean Finn of Limerick is tackled by Alan Connolly of Cork during the Munster SHC clash in Páirc Ui Chaoimh.

1. Limerick

Compared to 2021: Not quite at the irresistible pitch of the second half of the Munster final or the All-Ireland final, but they haven’t needed to be. Still clearly ahead of the pack.

Strengths: Power. Calmness. Trust in the system. And experience, as revealed by timing their preparations just right for the provincial championship.

Achilles heel: Discipline seemed an issue in the league, but no longer (see Strengths above). Injuries are mounting up, however, and all seem to be occurring in the forwards. Against Waterford Cian Lynch went off injured while Seamus Flanagan and Peter Casey didn’t start.

Can’t afford to lose: Lynch has already been lost for a couple of weeks at least due to that hamstring, while Aaron Gillane is an easy answer to this question. But Diarmaid Byrnes’ defensive solidity and long-range shooting is the kind of punishment that gets opposing managers kicking water-bottles in frustration. A vital cog in the machine.

2 Waterford

Compared to 2021: Better by virtue of the silverware collected already in the league final. Defeated by Limerick but that’s not a capital offence, particularly when compared to other teams who’ve been mauled by the main in green.

Strengths: Teamwork and commitment to the plan. Few other sides can point to a collective ethic which is as strong. That ethic is bolstered by a panel with real depth. Waterford have more quality options to swap in and out compared to almost every other county.

Achilles heel: Limerick? Waterford look well prepared for all comers apart from the champions. Their conditioning looks top notch now but it’s been a long year already. Can they keep up the effort for another couple of months?

Can’t afford to lose: Tadhg de Burca’s return to fitness underlines what a loss he was, and manager Liam Cahill is accommodating Jamie Barron’s return to action carefully. But Austin Gleeson’s ability to pull a rabbit out of the hat, as seen against Limerick, is the unpredictable factor which may prove crucial on the biggest days.

3 Clare 

Compared to 2021: Much better - two wins already under their belt mean they’ve qualified for the All-Ireland championship, barring a bizarre sequence of results in the next couple of weeks.

Strengths: Starting games well, with a dynamic forward unit augmented by the returning Shane O’Donnell and Peter Duggan. Have absorbed lessons from last year, as evidenced by manager Brian Lohan’s reference to addressing Aidan McCarthy’s sin-binning against Tipperary last year.

Achilles heel: Fading late on in games? Clare were more than two points better than Cork but could have been caught late on. They also leaked enough frees to Cork to lose the game, with some needless fouls committed. Other sides won’t be as wasteful.

Can’t afford to lose: Tony Kelly remains the side’s talisman - John Conlon anchors the defence and Clare have willing workers around the middle, but Kelly provides the spark when needed. He intervened with a slashing point when Cork were rallying last weekend and Clare will need that kind of intervention later in the championship also.

Joint 4th Cork 

Compared to 2021: Decline. Cork made the All-Ireland final last year but, along with Tipperary, look to be fighting it out to avoid last place in Munster this year. On a bad run since the league final defeat to Waterford.

Strengths: Still creating goal chances, carving out at least four against Clare the last day. Plenty of pace in attack.

Achilles heel: Not combative enough. Bullied by Clare and Limerick in the middle of the field in both championship games. Still looking for the optimum alignment of players in that middle eight and the approach to unlock the potential of the attack.

Can’t afford to lose: Unless they turn the season around against Waterford few Cork players will want to reflect on 2022 for too long come the winter. One player to maintain his standards and carry the fight has been defender Sean O’Donoghue, who has bailed out his fellow backs more than once this year.

Joint 4th Tipperary 

Compared to 2021: Decline, which seemed inevitable with the loss of so many experienced players. No county likes to admit it’s in transition, but the loss of Padraic Maher, Brendan Maher, John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer et al, coupled with injuries to the likes of John McGrath and Seamus Callanan, means manager Colm Bonnar has had a challenging spring and early summer.

Strengths: Any team which has Noel McGrath to distribute the ball will trouble opponents, while Ronan Maher is a focal point at the back. Brian Hogan’s puck-outs ask hard questions of opposing defences.

Achilles heel: Integrating new players and a new style is a challenge at the best of times. Doing so against teams like Waterford - experienced, settled, cohesive - makes that challenge all the harder.

Can’t afford to lose: Tipperary are getting a good return from Noel McGrath, as noted, while Cathal Barrett has maintained his level of performance guarding the goal, but Seamus Kennedy has emerged as a real leader for Tipperary in the middle of the field and has been a model of consistency for the county in a tricky season so far.