John Horgan ranks the All-Ireland hurling contenders after Kilkenny's early exit

Forget what happened at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the Gaelic Grounds, Fitzgerald Stadium and everywhere else last weekend the story that unfolded at Parnell Park was truly remarkable.

Dublin's defeat of Kilkenny eliminated the game's most successful county, the county with 36 All-Ireland titles alongside their name, their summer of hurling was over before the month of May had expired.

With Tipperary's fate having already been sealed before they took on Limerick, it meant that two of hurling's big three, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Cork were gone from the championship.

They would not puck a ball again until next January and February.

They are not included in the six counties remaining in the chase for the Liam MacCarthy Cup, in many ways, it's the sporting story of the year thus far particularly where the Cats are concerned.

Tipperary had failed in their quest to get out of Munster a couple of times since the introduction of the round-robin format but for Kilkenny it had always been a clear path to the All-Ireland series.

Over the past six years they had claimed the Bob O'Keeffe Cup, they were almost untouchable in Leinster.

However, the complexion of the game on Noreside has been changing dramatically in recent years, no All-Ireland at senior level since 2015, no minor title since 2014 and they have just one U21/20 title over the past 17 years.

Success at minor and now U20 never guaranteed anything on the bigger stage but their dominance at those levels has been steadily diminishing for some time now.

The factory that used to provide so many players who were ready for graduation is nowhere as operational as it once was.

IN DECLINE

No matter how successful a county has been in the past there is no divine right to anything going forward and Kilkenny are finding that out right now. Since the Brian Cody years, the decline has been steady.

The thinking was this season that if they had managed to be in the top three in their province, they could still be a dangerous team to encounter in the All-Ireland.

After all, they could, maybe should have beaten Tipperary last season and Clare the year previous in the semi-finals but the axe fell on them last Sunday, beaten by a Dublin team who must now be the more fancied side in the Leinster final against Galway.

There is a realisation now among Kilkenny hurling folk that the journey back to where they once used to be must be tackled immediately, particularly at development level and in terms of facilities.

In the past, it was almost taken for granted that success would come their way, not anymore.

If their demise last weekend was a headline maker, Offaly's resurgence was not that far behind. And that has to be a positive for the game in general.

At the conclusion of the national league they seemed to be well out of their depth, losing all six games, some of them by huge scores.

But they have been a breath of fresh air in this Leinster championship, putting in some sterling performances along the way, securing well-deserved draws against Dublin and Kilkenny and defeating Wexford and Kildare to book their place in the All-Ireland series, something that might have been unthinkable at the start of the championship.

They won't be winning the All-Ireland or anything like that but the game in the Faithful County is surely very much on an upward trajectory.

Now that the round-robin format of the provincial championship has been concluded what is the general consensus?

For once, the Leinster championship contained more drama than its Munster counterpart, there was jeopardy right up to the final round, the great uncertainty whether it would be Kilkenny or Offaly extending their summer.

In Munster, the top three had been signed, sealed and delivered before the final round and maybe that contributed to the lacklustre games between Cork and Clare and Limerick and Tipperary.

During the past week, Waterford boss Peter Queally outlined his dissatisfaction with the current format and maybe there is a degree of sympathy for him and his players.

He believes that failure to get out of the province should not be the end of a county's season and that the end of the provincial championship should be followed by another round-robin phase where counties from different provinces would be grouped together.

Waterford have failed in their quest to be in the top three in Munster since the new format was introduced and a few times they were very unlucky.

But at the end of the day, every county gets to play four games to try and extend their summer and if you don't succeed there cannot be too much complaint.

Okay, the inter-county hurling season is far too short for the counties that don't make the top three but the split season plays a big part in that.

But in general, the current format is working very well and it has to be a case that if it's not broke, don't fix it.

Waterford played a big part in Munster this season, Injuries to key players at various times certainly did not help their cause but at the end of the day, it's a results-driven business and the Déise did not secure the necessary return.

This season and last the reigning All-Ireland champions failed to be in the top three in Munster. That was Tipp this time and Clare in 2025.

Quite staggering maybe where some are concerned but in Munster, it's a cut-throat campaign with absolutely no certainty at all from one year to the next.

So, at this point how would we rate the six counties remaining in the chase for the big prize in July?

One believes that Cork and Limerick are out in front by some distance with Clare, despite their trouncing last Sunday still very much a county to reckon with if they hit top form as they did against Tipperary.

Galway have not set the world alight in Leinster, having to recover from significant deficits against Wexford and Kildare but you just never know with them, capable of much but conversely so underwhelming at the same time, lacking consistency.

Dublin have had a fine Leinster championship ending with that defeat of Kilkenny and didn't they eliminate Limerick last season? Yes, they got trounced by Cork subsequently but they seem to be in a decent place at the moment.

Of the six counties remaining, Offaly are probably in that position in the rankings but their season has already been a success.

They'll have Cork or Limerick in an All-Ireland quarter-final and that will almost certainly signal the end of the journey for this season.

Cork are probably entitled to be ranked number one after the top marks they secured in the round-robin and having the Munster final on home soil next Sunday week.

Limerick, though, are right on their coat-tails. Here's our thinking.

Rankings:

1. Cork

2. Limerick 

3. Clare

4. Dublin 

5. Galway 

6. Offaly