John Horgan on hurling: Limerick look stronger than ever after hitting new heights in league

Just the finals of the various divisions of the hurling league remaining now before the far more serious stuff of the provincial championships begins a fortnight later.

The league is always a bit of a mix of the good, bad and indifferent, it could be said. Counties view it differently, some tuned in more than others. At the outset. 

Cork boss Ben O'Connor emphatically stated that he wanted to go out and win every game his squad of players participated in. His theory was that winning was a very good habit to get into, a confidence builder going forward and with five victories from their six outings, the players bought into that.

With squad depth now of paramount importance in every county, there is an overriding priority with every management team to deepen their pool of players and no matter how successful a county might have performed in the previous season, the need is always there to do just that.

It's a rarity if a team selection does not change from one week to the next in the league and the same 15 starters hardly ever occur. It's a very intense campaign, particularly in Division 1A with not a lot separating any of the competing counties.

Yes, it could be said that Offaly were well off the pace this time, losing all their six games and being in relegation trouble all too early for a county striving to get back to the place they once occupied in the '80s and 90's.

Everybody wants more counties coming to the forefront on the hurling landscape but over time all too few emerge to challenge the establishment.

Offaly did it once, this time it looks like being more difficult and success at minor and U20 level guarantees absolutely nothing in the senior grade.

If a county gets four or five players from those grades who graduate, they can be well pleased. The harsh reality is that the majority of minor and U20 players fall off the radar.

This season's league in both 1A and 1B have worked out very well for the GAA, two potentially cracking finals in store in front of a sell-out attendance at the Gaelic Grounds.

We'll delve into those games next week and how they are likely to pan out but it's quite right to say that in Division 1A the two best teams in the country, the two teams rated one and two in the pecking order for championship success are going up against each other next Sunday week.

All the other Munster counties will be interested onlookers that day, particularly Tipperary who will welcome Cork to Thurles a fortnight later.

It was fairly obvious from the outset of the league campaign that last season's top team were not putting all their eggs into the secondary competition this time.

They took a right hammering from Limerick but they still emerged victorious in three of their games and played out a thrilling draw against Kilkenny last Saturday night, a game that will surely stand to them.

Liam Cahill has also found a few additions to the squad and let no one be under any illusions, Tipp will not surrender the MacCarthy Cup easilt.

Waterford are out of the top flight of the league again and that's a blow but, at the same time, they won't be easy pickings for any of the other four in Munster.

In the league, for the most part they performed without their Ballygunner contingent, some serious players absent, and had injuries to other key players to deal with as well. They were desperately poor against Cork but a week later they took down Limerick in Walsh Park, a defeat that only subsequently served to ignite John Kiely's team.

TIGHT CALL

The big game for Waterford is the opener against Clare in Cusack Park and that's a game you'd be thinking is a 50/50 issue.

If they got something out of that and with two home games in Walsh Park to come the story could become very interesting.

Cork and Tipp travelling to Walsh Park could determine quite a lot and Waterford will be underdogs in all four games.

They have yet to emerge from Munster since the new format began but there's a first for everything.

The Munster counties can forget about Kilkenny for a while and the Cats can forget about the league too which was not very good to them.

Although it was a dead rubber against Tipp last weekend, it turned out to be their best display of the campaign.

They had TJ Reid back in the fray, delivering 1-8, 1-4 from play, and goalkeeper Aidan Tallis continuing to challenge Eoin Murphy strongly for the number

 one spot.

They got an almighty trouncing from Galway and Galway are first up for them in Salthill in the Leinster championship. That will tell us most things we want to know about Kilkenny in this season's championship.

FLAT

Overall, it could be said that the league campaign didn't really ignite to a great extent. You could ask what games contained the intensity of a championship encounter?

Of course, that will surely all change next Sunday week in the final and championship or not for Cork a fortnight later there will be no holding back, when these two collide, the players just go full throttle.

And it's a final that is make-your-mind-up time for both management teams, the performance of one player or another determining his championship start.

As we stated earlier in the week, the number three shirt for Cork is still meriting huge debate among supporters and pencilling in the front six is a topic for conversation as well.

In Limerick's case, it looks like Will O'Donoghue has nailed down the centre-back position and the performance of Cathal O'Neill in the half-forward line against Galway was a game highlight with a return of 1-6 from open play. 

Kyle Hayes, Cian Lynch and Aaron Gillane stood up very much in that game too and this Limerick squad seems to be as strong now as it has ever been in the past.

Limerick have the benefit of an extra week before they play Cork again in Munster and that might make a difference.

At the same time, if Cork come out of Thurles with a victory over Tipperary, they will be walking 10 feet tall into the championship showdown with their league final opponents.

It all adds up to a potentially fascinating number of months ahead when the game of hurling may be taken to an even more extraordinary level. That would take some doing, given its current very elevated status but it's very possible.

And on a final note, superbly well done to the Cork footballers on their promotion from the most difficult of divisions. It was a long time coming but immense credit to John Cleary, a top manager and person.