Back to news
Munster hurling day of draws adds to the pressure and uncertainty facing every team
@Source: the42.ie
Advertisement
League of Ireland
Horse Racing
TV Listings
GAA Fixtures
The Video Review
Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture
Rugby Weekly Extra
Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week
The Football Family
Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points
Advertisement
More Stories
Noel McGrath, Jamie Barron, Mike Casey, Niall O'Leary, and Ryan Taylor.Eóin Noonan/SPORTSFILE
AnalysisAll Square
Munster hurling day of draws adds to the pressure and uncertainty facing every team
Cork face Tipperary next Sunday, and Waterford meet Clare, in games that now have added importance.
6.01pm, 22 Apr 2025
Share options
IT BEGAN WITH Jake Morris in Thurles in May 2018.
Fresh off the bench, the scorer with his first touch of the point that brought Tipperary level with Cork and secured the first draw of the Munster round-robin system that was still in its’ infancy.
That Round 2 stalemate was followed six days later by Kyle Hayes rescuing Limerick on a breathless night in Cork, and the day after Jason Forde capped off the June Bank Holiday weekend by dragging Tipperary level in their Gaelic Grounds tussle with Waterford.
Six games in to the opening season of hurling’s round-robin era and half of the encounters had produced draws. It was a level that couldn’t quite be maintained, there were no draws for the remainder of that Munster series, or the following year’s offering in 2019, and with Covid bringing back a knockout structure, the next draw didn’t arrive until 15 May 2022, Diarmaid Byrnes landing the crucial point after a cracker in Ennis that was a portent of the Clare-Limerick rivalry to come.
In 2023, Shane Kingston was Cork’s point-scoring saviour after an epic against Tipperary, John McGrath nailed the free that drew Tipperary level with Limerick a fortnight later, and then Gearóid O’Connor crowned Tipperary’s revival last May in Waterford with a late point.
Advertisement
Tipperary's Gearoid O'Connor in action against Waterford's Darragh Lyons.Ken Sutton / INPHO
Ken Sutton / INPHO / INPHO
Seven draws from 50 round-robin games represents a 14% strike rate, far from a prevailing pattern, and yet those games were the type that captured the high-pressure, heart-throbbing excitement that the Munster championship has generated in recent seasons, inflating the levels of interest and anticipation in what the province has served up.
There had never been a draw in the opening round though. Ten Sunday afternoon contests had delivered ten victors, and in only four of those matches had the action been tight enough to produce a 1-3 point winning margin.
Last Sunday bucked the trend. The 2025 edition began with two draws, the same outcome produced in Ennis and Thurles, but achieved in different ways. The first was one of wildly fluctuating fortunes, Cork ahead by 12 points at half-time, by nine points in the 56th minute, by eight points in the 66th minute, and yet reliant on a Declan Dalton free in their desperate pursuit of a levelling score, after being hit with a furious Clare comeback.
Declan Dalton scores from a late free to equalise the game for Cork.Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
The second was more of the matching stride for stride type, Tipperary’s greatest advantage on the day was three points, Limerick’s biggest lead was two points, and it took Darragh McCarthy’s last-gasp free to generate the draw.
The settled consensus with the Munster hurling championship has been that any of the five teams can beat each other on any particular day. The fact that the top three teams in three of the five round-robin championships have been Limerick, Cork, and Clare, with Tipperary subbing in on the other two occasions (once for Clare and once for Cork), points to a competition that is more predictable in its nature.
There may be results that twist and turn the narrative, but there is still a recognisable quality to the table at the end.
The top three spot this year were widely forecast to be secured by the reigning champions of the All-Ireland (Clare), Munster (Limerick), and league (Cork) series. That may still transpire to be the case, but the upshot of last Sunday is that no team has gained a distinct advantage, and no team is in disarray after being hit by an early setback.
How will each manager feel after opening day?
Pat Ryan has a lot to process in the mixed bag of Cork’s performance, the pace and poise of the first half, giving way to a second half of slump and struggle. For the third time in the space of a year in championship, they coughed up a sizeable lead at the hands of Clare.
For the third time in their last five games in Munster, they lost a player to a red card, and on each occasion have been unable to win. And yet Brian Hayes and Darragh Fitzgibbon were sensational in the opening period, while the break that fell their way for the game to be prolonged enough to allow that levelling free to be awarded, could be of huge significance.
Brian Lohan hailed the spirit of his Clare team afterwards. Their resolve was unquestionable, getting championship minutes into the legs of their veteran players will help, and Peter Duggan was terrific as the focal point that the entire team played off. Still that’s three successive years where they haven’t left Ennis on opening day with a victory, their defence looked in real trouble as it was pulled apart in the first half, and the importance of Conor Cleary and Shane O’Donnell in opposite sectors of the pitch was magnified.
For John Kiely getting the Limerick selection mix right is a challenge to navigate. They notably shifted around William O’Donoghue and Kyle Hayes on Sunday, while they were reintegrating Nickie Quaid and Peter Casey after injury. Sean Finn, Dan and Tom Morrissey, and Darragh O’Donovan were all kept in reserve. Shane O’Brien and Adam English proved they are the Limerick hurling present as well as the future.
Kiely has been down this road with Limerick before where they have endured a patchy opening. They got the job done to defeat Waterford by two in 2023 and Clare by three in 2024, before ramping up their performance levels as they progressed through Munster. Can they repeat that trick? The eight-day period in May where they host Cork and Clare, and will require at least one win, has grown in importance.
Liam Cahill must have been the happiest manager of the quartet. Considering the 10-point loss two weeks before in the league final to Cork and the 15-point defeat twelve months previous in the championship to Limerick, this was a sharp swing in Tipperary’s form.
Positional changes like bringing Jake Morris to centre-forward, and personnel changes like introducing John McGrath, worked. The young crew of Robert Doyle, Joe Caesar, Sam O’Farrell, and Darragh McCarthy have brought new life to the team. They must be buoyed at the prospect of having another crack off Cork.
Related Reads
Galway have lost faith in their hurlers and there's only one way to get them back
5 talking points after Munster hurling day of draws and drama
And sitting back at home in an observational capacity, absorbing the afternoon’s action, was Waterford’s Peter Queally. His team have bided their time, and after a spring in the second league tier, get set to face off against Clare and Limerick in the space of seven days. Two home contests that always looked to define their season, and yet the fact they will in both cases be facing a team without a victory, increases the reward for Waterford if they manage to win.
Munster’s hurling day of draws has raised the stakes further.
There has been greater uncertainty created.
And that adds another layer of intrigue as to what will unfold over the next 33 days.
Fintan O'Toole
Viewcomments
Send Tip or Correction
Embed this post
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Email “Munster hurling day of draws adds to the pressure and uncertainty facing every team”.
Recipient's Email
Feedback on “Munster hurling day of draws adds to the pressure and uncertainty facing every team”.
Your Feedback
Your Email (optional)
Report a Comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment.
Please give full details of the problem with the comment...
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
before taking part.
Leave a Comment
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel.
Racism or Hate speech
An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs.
Trolling or Off-topic
An attempt to derail the discussion.
Inappropriate language
Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs.
Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts.
Please provide additional information
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
Leave a commentcancel
Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user
View our policy
⚠️ Duplicate comment
Post Comment
have your say
Or create a free account to join the discussion
FreePodcastThe Football Family
Canham to leave FAI as LOI takes leave of senses
Ulster hit with injury absentees and doubts ahead of crucial Sharks meeting
FreeAmerican Football
Bill Belichick's UNC to play TCU at Aviva Stadium in 2026 College Football Classic
FreePodcastRugby Weekly Extra
Tommy O'Brien might be better than we thought, Munster fall victim to another sideline shambles
R&A 'optimistic' for Open at Portmarnock as Portrush primed for McIlroy mania
O'Connor, Warwick and Matty Rea among 8 senior players to depart Ulster at end of season
Black Ferns star Woodman-Wickliffe coming out of retirement for World Cup
AnalysisSurgery required
Galway have lost faith in their hurlers and there's only one way to get them back
Permutations
The Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cup state of play ahead of key Kildare-Louth game
Dutch Defeat
Troy Parrott scores 20th goal of the season but suffers disappointing cup final loss
Dates For Diary
Here's this week's GAA inter-county schedule and TV coverage
more from us
Investigates
Daft.ie Property Magazine
Allianz Home Magazine
The 42 Sports Magazine
Money Diaries
The Journal TV
Journal Media
Advertise With Us
About FactCheck
Our Network
FactCheck Knowledge Bank
Terms & Legal Notices
Terms of Use
Cookies & Privacy
Advertising
Competition
more from us
TV Listings
GAA Fixtures
The Video Review
Journal Media
Advertise With Us
Our Network
The Journal
FactCheck Knowledge Bank
Terms & Legal Notices
Terms of Use
Cookies & Privacy
Advertising
Competition
© 2025 Journal Media Ltd
Terms of Use
Cookies & Privacy
Advertising
Competition
Switch to Desktop
Switch to Mobile
The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie
Report an error, omission or problem:
Your Email (optional)
Create Email Alert
Create an email alert based on the current article
Email Address
One email every morning
As soon as new articles come online
Sign in or create
a free account
To continue reading create a free account
Or sign into an existing account
Related News
29 Mar, 2025
Another New Jersey recruit says he has c . . .
10 Feb, 2025
Arne Slot defends Liverpool line-up in P . . .
15 Mar, 2025
North Carolina's NCAA Tournament hopes l . . .
12 Mar, 2025
Stephen King fans furious as Netflix pla . . .
22 Apr, 2025
Four Man Utd players to be axed to make . . .
02 May, 2025
My dad supported me from day one… I’d li . . .
11 Apr, 2025
World’s largest ECA to stretch from Port . . .
11 Mar, 2025
Holly Willoughby 'is poised to emulate a . . .