Clare v Cork: Rebels look to change recent history against Banner

In trying to divine what might transpire in a sporting arena, we’re often guilty of looking at what has happened in the past and trying to find patterns.

It’s all guess-work of course and, like the stock markets, past results are no guarantee of future performance. Consider the following inalienable facts:

After each of their three most recent national hurling league titles before this year (1981, 1993, 1998), Cork lost a Munster SHC game to Clare soon after; Cork have not beaten Clare in any championship game since 2021 and not in the Munster championship since 2018; Cork have never won a championship game in Ennis; Clare have lost their opening home game in Munster in each of the past two seasons.

However, as alluded to above, Cork’s record against Clare in the round-robin era is the most lopsided of their four rivalries and it’s one that is in need of redress. Bar the home victory in 2018 – the counties’ first-ever game in the provincial league system – which was followed by victory in that year’s final, the Rebels have failed to get the better of the Banner in Munster.

The 2019 season was Cork’s first trip to Ennis in the championship and they went there after wins over champions Limerick and then Waterford had responded to the opening defeat against Tipperary.

Another victory would have sent Kieran Kingston’s side into another Munster final but instead a 2-23 to 2-18 win for Clare meant a three-way tie between the two counties and Limerick – thankfully for Cork, scoring difference allowed them to advance in third.

Covid interrupted the round-robin for 2020 and 2021 and Cork did beat Clare in the All-Ireland SHC qualifiers in Limerick – though it needed a last-minute wonder save from Patrick Collins to deny Tony Kelly – but come the return of the system for 2022, Clare got the upper hand again.

While Cork were technically the home team, the sides met in Thurles, where Clare had beaten Tipperary a week before. A good start put them in control and a Cork fightback fell short, 0-28 to 2-20 the final score. It was their second straight defeat but wins over Waterford and Tipperary meant they still emerged from Munster.

Unfortunately, that run would end in 2023 - a 2-22 to 3-18 loss in Cusack Park was followed by another one-point defeat in Limerick, meaning elimination for Pat Ryan’s side.

Then, after both counties had lost their 2024 openers, Clare came to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh and came from seven points down to win by 3-26 to 3-24. It left Cork in the same position as after two games in 2022 but again they salvaged matters and, of course, made it all the way to the All-Ireland final.

Of course, there they fell to Clare once again, by a single point after 80 minutes. It marked a fourth straight championship win for them against Cork – matching the run of 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1998 – and a fifth victory in six.

Will that pattern change? We can hope but there are of course no guarantees.