John Horgan on hurling: Make no mistake, Limerick remain top of pecking order for Liam MacCarthy

What a difference a week makes in the Munster Hurling Championship.

Limerick departed SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh after being defeated by Cork in their round-robin opener and with a potentially daunting trip to Cusack Park to take on Clare in their next outing, where another loss would have put them in a very precarious position to emerge into the All-Ireland series.

Clare had already put two precious points on the board and another win would almost certainly have given them one of the top three spots, the primary objective of all counties at the outset of the campaign. 

But as we are tired of stating, where this Munster championship is concerned, the only certainty is the uncertainty. In the previews, a number of pundits gave the verdict to Clare with one headline stating that Clare's forward power could tilt the balance against a weakened Limerick.

Well, that was certainly well wide of the mark, the very opposite being the case with the Limerick forwards firing on all cylinders. More of that later but Limerick's victory and Clare's loss put a different complexion on matters in the province.

Clare, of course, are still very much in the equation as regards qualification but given the battering they received last Sunday and with two away games to come against Tipperary and Cork, the narrative changes.

LOOKING FORWARD

Limerick, on the other hand, have played their two away games and with Waterford and Tipperary having to visit the Gaelic Grounds, there's a lot more optimism on Shannonside than there might have been after the loss to Cork.

Viewing the overall picture as it is currently there might be some smart money on another Cork, Limerick Munster final but there's still a lot of hurling to be played yet.

In this frenzied championship, a loss one week has to be erased quickly from the mindset because there's very little time to dwell on it when you are out again seven days later. 

Cork and Limerick was a draining game, taking a lot out of both teams and there was speculation that Limerick might not have had enough time to recover. Add in the fact that two former Hurlers of the Year were marked absent and there had to some concern.

However, as events transpired in Ennis there was no reason to be with John Kiely's men back to their brilliant best and delivering a loud and clear message that they have no intention of going away.

Clare had performed admirably against Waterford despite the concession of four goals and they got over the line in that game, the main requirement in any encounter.

That game was not decided until very late in the proceedings but you could nearly suggest that last Sunday's contest had nearly run its course by half-time when Limerick led by 13 points, 2-15 to 0-8.

In the past, of course, we have seen substantial advantages wiped out but there was no evidence at all to suggest that Clare might be able to stage a miracle recovery.

Clare were steamrolled in that opening half, scoring just two points from open play and not scoring at all from play from the 16th minute onwards. In fact, by the 48th minute that statistic remained the same until a mini-comeback was staged with points from Diarmuid Ryan, Mark Rogers and Niall O'Farrell.

The Banner reduced the deficit to 10 points and Limerick's third quarter display was lack-lustre enough.

However, they regained their authority and breezed over the finishing line to leave the large home support in turmoil, all the more so because the loss was at the hands of their arch foes.

ADMIRABLE

Over the course of the 70-plus minutes, Limerick's performance had to be admired with a number of players putting a significant stamp on the proceedings.

Firstly, Nickie Quaid rubberstamped his status as the best goalkeeper in the country, making some sublime saves.

Barry Nash was outstanding at corner-back, raiding up field to fire over two superb points, something that we have become accustomed to over the years.

Diarmaid Byrnes was outstanding too, making an early statement with a ferocious hit on Shane O'Donnell.

The penalty that he struck home was far more convincing than the free against Cork.

Shane O'Brien was hugely effective too, a Man of the Match contender with six points, a massive improvement on his display against Cork. Peter Casey and Cathal O'Neill shared six points, three apiece and centre-forward Aidan O'Connor was majestic with a haul of 1-9, this column's choice for Man of the Match, that accolade going to Quaid per RTE.

In truth, five or six were in contention for that gong.

No doubt, the Cork management were very interested observers last Sunday, even if they have to deal with Waterford first next Saturday night.

I'm certain that they, like the rest of us, didn't envisage a game that was totally lopsided. Every match, of course, is different and as we said, things can change very quickly in this championship.

Cork may well be in the Munster final when Clare arrive in town but still won't be taking anything for granted.

Clare were very poor overall last Sunday and they may well need to get something from the Cork encounter to have a chance of being in the final equation. They have to travel to Thurles before that assignment and Tipp will be the big fancy in that one on May 16.

It is, of course, still too early to be jumping to any conclusions and remember last season when Limerick demolished Cork in the round-robin encounter only for Cork to come through to defeat them in the Munster final in a penalty shootout.

So, one bad day at the office does not signal the end of the road but Clare have a hell of a lot of work ahead of them before they tackle the All-Ireland champions who will be equally desperate to get back on track.

And if Tipperary were to lose that game, it would almost certainly put them out of contention.

Limerick's victory on Sunday may well have regained them top spot in the pecking order of All-Ireland contenders and with two home games coming up and the return of Aaron Gillane and Cian Lynch, John Kiely has to be back again in a good place.

Being the only hurling game at the weekend, so much was expected from Clare and Limerick but as any sort of a meaningful contest, it never materialised.

On the evidence thus far, the Limerick display on Sunday was probably the most impressive but in the Munster championship you can never be certain until the final weekend of the campaign.

All is not lost for Clare but there's bagfuls to be addressed in training over the next 12 days.