John Horgan on hurling: Cork close in on final place but Limerick keeping powder dry

It's now stating the obvious to suggest that the only meaningful game in Division 1A of the NHL next weekend will be the one at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh between Cork and Galway.

Kilkenny's victory over Limerick last Saturday put the seal on a number of issues in the secondary competition, Tipperary, without pucking a ball in anger, will be one of the finalists and the outcome of the Cork-Galway encounter will determine who will be coming out of the opposition dressing room in that final.

In the other two games listed for next weekend, Tipperary and Clare and Limerick against Wexford, it could be said that both are dead-rubber situations with nothing of any consequence involved.

Yes, in both games the four counties might want to sign off with a victory before the far more important business of the championship begins a month later.

Kilkenny did sign off with a fairly resounding win over Limerick at Nowlan Park and we won't see them in competitive action again until they come face-to-face with Galway in their opening game of the Leinster championship.

So, it could be said that Cork and Galway have the stage to themselves insofar as it's the only game where there is something on the line with Wexford and Clare already relegated.

In Division 1B the situation is not what the GAA had been hoping for either, a final round of group games carrying far greater jeopardy.

Offaly are already safely berthed in the final and it's a near certainty that their opponents will be Waterford and it will be their second coming together in a week.

Waterford host the Faithful on Sunday in the final group game when we might expect to see the emphasis being very much on the experimental with plenty of shadow boxing being the order. After all, the fish that both will be frying in the final will be far bigger and the stakes extremely higher.

At the other end of the table in that division, the fate of Laois and Westmeath has already been sealed and both will be playing Division 2 hurling next season.

So, all and all in both divisions there are plenty of games where the only thing at stake is pride and maybe for counties to gather some bit of momentum before the championship voyage begins.

Games of hurling for this columnist will always take precedence over all other sports so, from a TV perspective, it was Nowlan Park last Saturday commanding our attention rather than the events in Rome for the Ireland-Italy Six Nations tie.

And that game on Noreside was held our attention because Kilkenny had been running out the gate with the substantial advantage that they had constructed in the opening half before Limerick decided to make a game of it in the second 35 minutes and reduced a one-time deficit of 12 points to just four as the game entered its final 10 minutes.

But that was as far as they got and by the 70th minute, the Cats had restored their advantage to nine points.

In the end, it was another one of those games in this league campaign where the margin of victory of one team over the other was substantial. But that's the league, you just don't know what to expect from one game to the next.

WRETCHED

In their previous encounters, Kilkenny had been fairly wretched against Tipperary and Limerick had blown Galway away.

In this league campaign, for the most part, the only consistent theme has been inconsistency.

Clare had been fairly awful in their opening three games, losing all three only to respond with a stirring performance in defeating Limerick, the one game that probably mattered that bit more for their supporters.

Tipperary have been, by far, the most consistent team in the five group games to date with four victories with Cork next best with three wins and a draw. And it would be right and fitting if they both contested the final but that will all depend on Cork's result against Galway.

A draw will suffice for Cork but a victory for Galway will rule Pat Ryan's team out of the equation.

When Limerick reduced Kilkenny's big lead last Saturday it was another illustration of how things can change very quickly in a game of hurling.

An advantage of great significance can be easily erased or whittled down to the extent that the team who held that advantage can become very nervous when their opponents gain a bit of momentum.

A couple of years ago in one of the covid Munster finals, Tipperary led Limerick by 10 points at the interval but a short while into the second half, Limerick had completely wiped it out and went on to claim the victory.

One might be right in stating that a Cork, Tipperary league final might be favoured more by Croke Park because in Thurles or in Pairc Ui Chaoimh that game would generate a far bigger attendance than a Tipp, Galway final.

Of course, that's far too premature to be talking about that and we must wait and see how things unfold between Cork and Galway first.

CONTENT

One of the talking points that always enters the conversation during a league campaign is what the counties want out of it.

Do they put all their eggs into the basket of trying to win it outright, are they just happy with a mid-table place, secure their status for the following season and not be involved in a relegation battle?

It's always difficult to garner what a county's priority is, does that bit of fear still exist that winning a league title can militate against your championship chances later on, in the current structure a fortnight later.

In the opening half last Saturday at Nowlan Park, Limerick seemed to be satisfied with how the competition was panning out, safe from relegation and not really prioritising a place in the final.

They did respond very positively thereafter but the thinking seemed to be that John Kiely, with a game against Wexford to come next Sunday, won't be losing any sleep about how things have gone and his main priority would seem to have been finding some fresh blood that would benefit his championship chances.

And in that regard, there is no doubt that he has succeeded in that quest and in Shane Dowling he has the right man at the right time to compensate for the loss of All-Star goalkeeper Nicky Quaid.

World class is always an exaggeration but Dowling made two fantastic stops against Kilkenny from Billy Ryan and TJ Reid, two right from the top drawer.

Thus far the league has been a mix of many things, a few good games, some far too lopsided and very much lacking in championship intensity. But that for the most part is the league, a competition that fades fairly quickly from the memory bank once it's concluded.

Maybe we'll get a humdinger of a final when Tipp's final opponents are revealed.