Munster Hurling Championship permutations ahead of Sunday
Cork's Patrick Horgan shoots against Limerick. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
The scenario is quite straightforward for Cork ahead of Sunday’s Munster SHC clash with Waterford at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
A win for Pat Ryan’s side would guarantee them a place in the top two and a place in the provincial final; a draw would mean third place while Limerick and Tipperary contest the decider; and a defeat to the Déise would bring the year to an end.
Limerick’s win over the Rebels on Sunday guaranteed John Kiely’s side qualification for the All-Ireland series, albeit not a Munster final spot – though it would take an unlikely series of events for that to happen – and it also had the effect of ensuring that All-Ireland champions Clare were eliminated.
Even if the Banner were to cause an upset at TUS Gaelic Grounds on Sunday, their three-point tally would not be enough to progress as Limerick and Tipperary both have five points and one of Cork or Waterford will have at least four.
What a Clare win might do is make for a three-way tie at the top of the table, that is if Cork were to beat Waterford. With themselves, Limerick and Tipp all on five, scoring difference would come into play.
After the 16-point win on Sunday, Limerick now have a tally of +22, while Cork went from +15 to -1. However, Tipp are on -3 and so, in such circumstances, the Treatymen would have to lose by 26 points.
A Cork-Waterford draw would leave Cork on four points with Waterford on three and eliminated with the same 1-1-2 record as Cork were in 2023. If Peter Queally’s side were to come away with victory in the Páirc – where they beat Offaly in the Allianz HL Division 1B final – they would take third place and an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final spot, leaving Limerick and Tipperary to contest the Munster final regardless of how the Limerick-Clare game might have gone.
The three counties who can still qualify for the Munster final all have home-and-away arrangements with each other. A Cork win and they would almost certainly be heading back up the N20 to take on Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds again – the counties’ last meeting in a decider was the last major match at the old Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 2014.
An unlikely Cork-Tipp pairing would see the counties play each other at the Páirc for the third time this year, as their last Munster final against each other was the 2006 renewal in Thurles.
The last time the counties met at that stage was in 2021 – due to Covid-19, all major games were neutral and the game was held at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, with 2019 their last final under the auspices of the home-and-away agreement. That match took place in Limerick.
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