Counties that retain the hurling league title tend to go on to bigger things

If you were trying to explain the national leagues to a foreigner, you’d find it difficult to lay things out in a rational fashion.

Yes, it’s one where the top teams all play each other and you end up with an across-the-line comparison; but no, it’s second to the competition which is largely knockout – in fact, it’s just a warm-up for it.

Even with the growing interest in the hurling league over the last couple of years – Sunday’s Division 1A and 1B finals at TUS Gaelic Grounds will be the second successive sellout, whereas the 2024 decider between Clare and Kilkenny in Thurles drew just 12,307.

And yet, whatever happens on Sunday between Cork and Limerick, the ultimate reckoning won’t be determined for a few weeks – realistically, it will all hinge on the counties’ results in the opening weeks of the championship.

Cork begin their Munster SHC campaign on Sunday fortnight, April 19, with a trip to FBD Semple Stadium for a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland final against Tipperary. If they win this Sunday and win in Thurles, then they were riding the crest of a wave; if they lost Sunday and beat Tipp, they were cleverly keeping the powder dry.

However, a win over Limerick and a loss against Tipp would be framed as getting the priorities wrong; and defeats in both would lead to suggestions that the first loss gave birth to the second. Throw in the fact that Cork’s second game, against Limerick a week later, is the Shannonsiders’ first and the waters are made more muddy, with the intrigue increased.

Such is the way with the league – a national trophy to be won but with no real legacy of victory unless your county has been starved of any success.

For instance, were Cork to win on Sunday, it would be the first time since 1981 for the county to retain the title – however, those two years were the only ones from 1975-86 inclusive where the Munster championship was not won.

Since Cork in 1981, the reigning league champions have made it back to the decider on 14 occasions and there is an even split of seven wins and seven losses.

However, of the seven to retain, five of those – Kilkenny in 1983, 2003, 2006 and 2014 and Limerick in 2020 – have gone on to win that year’s All-Ireland, whereas just one of those who have lost the final after winning the previous year have ended the campaign with the Liam MacCarthy Cup (Tipperary in 1989).

Winning the league is a sign of consistency and so doing it twice in a row underlines that attribute – but the feat will only ever be celebrated if it’s a stepping stone to more.