Munster teams burning up more watts than eastern counterparts

Inside Track with John McIntyre

THE hurling match of the year took place in Ennis on Sunday. With Cusack Park packed to capacity, Limerick and Clare tore into each other with a sustained intensity which we hadn’t yet seen in the championship. It was dog-eat-dog and there was no compromise from either side. It made for gripping viewing.

With Tony Kelly and Diarmuid Byrnes the respective Clare and Limerick heroes, the stalemate outcome means this derby round-robin tie will now be repeated in the Munster final. We think the Leinster championship is reasonably competitive, but it can’t hold a candle to what’s happening down south.

It’s not Leinster’s fault that there is such a discrepancy in standard between their six participants. Laois and Westmeath were no hopers to begin with, while Wexford’s form has fallen off a cliff. Despite their mauling by Kilkenny at Parnell Park on Saturday, Dublin are still likely to feature in the All-Ireland series.

In Munster, you don’t have that kind of latitude. All five combatants would have genuine aspirations of emerging from the province, but Waterford’s destiny is no longer in their own hands after their surprise weekend loss to Cork; while Tipperary need a miracle against the Rebels in Thurles on Sunday.

The net result is that the teams which eventually emerge from Munster will have expended a lot more energy compared to their counterparts in Leinster. In theory, that should suit the likes of Kilkenny and Galway down the road but, on the other hand, they won’t be as battle-hardened as potential rivals from the southern province.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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