John Horgan on Limerick v Cork: Break will help hurlers refocus for huge task on Shannonside

The hurling world is renowned for its storied rivalries, massive battles fought out on the biggest stages at provincial and All-Ireland level.

In a bygone era, any games involving the big three of Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary generated such an interest that it resonated far beyond these shores.

Their jousts were both hugely intense and often very bitter and nothing was spared in the duel for supremacy.

The rivalry between Limerick and Clare too always contained a cutting edge that made for compelling viewing and in Leinster, any collision featuring Kilkenny and Wexford took on a life of its own.

Those were the days, of course, of knockout championship hurling, you just got the one opportunity to extend your season.

The rivalries remain but one loss, even two and you could still end up in Croke Park on All-Ireland final day.

There might still be a minority who bemoan the change in the format, those of an older vintage that would have retained the old straight knockout system.

However, the great games that we are now witnessing, particularly in Munster has taken matters to a level that has justified any changes that have been made.

In the past, any meetings involving Cork and Limerick might not have captured the imagination of a Cork and Tipp clash but that's all changed now.

In fact, it could now be said that in recent times the games featuring Cork and Limerick stand apart in the great rivalry stakes Whether it's league or championship, those two counties have been producing gargantuan battles that has taken the breath away.

And now the next installment in their great rivalry is upon us at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday.

POLE POSITION

Some, very prematurely, might be predicting this will be the first of three championship meetings between the counties this year. Quite a few other counties, will have a lot to say about that as the summer ages so for now the only concentration should be on next Sunday.

Whoever wins will be in pole position to contest the Munster final, whoever loses will have a bit of sweating to do.

The draw, of course, cannot be ruled out given how closely matched both of them have been recently.

The season to date for both has been a bit of a mix, Cork finally getting their hands on silverware after winning the league, a competition this time that didn't seem to occupy Limerick's priorities as much as it did in previous campaigns.

Both opened with draws at the round-robin stage of the Munster championship, Cork against Clare and Limerick against Tipperary.

In both instances there might have been some reservations expressed about the overall state of their health, Cork having blown a 12-point advantage and Limerick finding a lot of difficulty with a Tipp team that had lost the league final.

However, both subsequently reaffirmed their status with victories in their next outings, Cork against Tipp and Limerick in Walsh Park against Waterford.

There is a general consensus that the two counties contain the strongest squads, their depth greater than the rest and that ultimately could be a deal breaker when the silverware is handed out.

Some of the more recent newcomers to the Limerick team, players of the calibre of Colin Coughlan who deputised superbly for Diarmuid Byrnes the last day when the latter was substituted, Adam English and Shane O'Brien at the edge of the square have all been making an impact.

Cian Lynch at centre-forward and Kyle Hayes at centre-back shone against Waterford and their individual battles with Robert Downey and Darragh Fitzgibbon will be key on Sunday if they are in those positions at the start.

O'Brien carries a big, physical threat at number 14 for Limerick and Eoin Downey must be on top of his game to curb his threat.

Shane Barrett's return from suspension has to enhance Cork's prospects and if his replacement against Tipp, Deccie Dalton can continue that rich vein of form it will be a further boost.

Niall O'Leary has arguably been Cork's best defender this season and he may be the one to stymie the threat of Aaron Gillane.

But, of course, there will be individual battles to be sorted out all over the field and there is also the issue of the fact that Cork have had a three-week break since their outing against Tipp. In this very congested campaign that can work both ways, a well-earned rest, time to reset or conversely a bit of ring rust setting in.

Clare might be out of the equation as far as being in the top three is concerned but the rest of the pack of four will all believe that they can be in that top three and that's the only priority at this juncture in time.

There's a bit more mileage on some of the older Limerick players' clocks but the belief is that the hunger is as great as ever and the sole concentration this season is on regaining the glory that was lost to Clare in 2024.

Cork were as close as you could get last season and that experience and the heartbreak of it has to be a great energiser this time.

It's highly unlikely that we'll get a repeat of Cork's last two outings, constructing a very big lead by the interval and subsequently holding on as was the case against Clare.

Even before Pat Ryan's appointment as team boss alongside his management team, Cork tended to be too inconsistent within games, not keeping the pedal to the metal throughout.

That's easier said than done, of course, more so when little or nothing separates all the counties in Munster. Both counties know each back to front at this stage and know what is going to be required to get over the line.

Cork certainly have become a more physically, aggressive side and they will certainly have to compete equally in those stakes. The perception is that the country's two best teams are competing against each other on Sunday and that may well be the case.

This Cork team is still waiting to make the big breakthrough on the championship stage while Limerick's greatest strength over the past six or seven years has been their ability to always find a way.

They didn't last season and Cork were solely responsible for that, something that Limerick won't have forgotten.

On home soil, on Sunday they are maybe slight favourites but this Cork team now is more battle-hardened and has its strongest squad for a long time and they have to be in the right frame of mind to try and secure another major victory and subsequently put themselves in a prime position to get back into a Munster final.

However, given the counties' recent rivalry and the tightness of their games, it won't be any great surprise whoever does emerge. Munster hurling may well surpass the exalted level it is already at in this potentially epic collision.

Verdict: Cork.