Any GAA championship match has the potential to be a tense and hard hitting encounter, but Munster Hurling Championship matches tend to increase that potential another notch or two. The fiercely competitive nature of Munster clashes makes for excellent viewing and most GAA followers not on duty following their own club or county next Sunday will be glued to RTE 2 for Clare versus Cork. With match odds of 4/11 Cork, 9/1 the draw and 13/5 Clare, traditionally in this situation we would recommend the outsiders as a great bet since Clare have proven down the years that they thrive in the cauldron-like environment we will see next Sunday. However in recent years they have tended to save their best performances for July and later, and when one factors in the current turmoil in the squad the match betting is best left alone. Instead we're going to recommend a bet on Ladbrokes' new market on how many goals will be scored - exactly one at 3/1, with a saver on no goalscorer at 8/1. These sides are both fine hurling teams that make the last four on a regular basis, but they are not goalscoring teams. Notwithstanding games against Down, Cork scored 4 and conceded 2 goals in 5 league games this year, while Clare scored and conceded 3 in four matches. Going further back into previous years will corroborate these numbers, and with that in mind the 3/1 about a single green flag is an excellent wager. In addition to this, we're going to recommend a speculative punt on an outsider - 7/2 Laois to turn over Offaly in the Leinster Hurling quarter final in O'Connor Park. Much as it pains an Offaly writer to say this, the current crop of faithful hurlers have proven themselves to be unable to deliver in the championship despite reasonable league campaigns, and with Tullamore native Damien Fox at the helm, Laois will have been eying up this fixture ever since the draw was made. The relatively small pitch will allow Paddy Mullaney to put his puckouts right on to the Offaly 21, and with James Young playing some absolutely masterful hurling and likely to find himself on the end of a lot of these deliveries there is every possibility that Laois will get off to a flier and draw Offaly into a dogfight. Conversely if Offaly get the good start then it's highly possible that they will relax into the game and in that situation a large winning margin is quite possible, but if they don't we're all set for a local humdinger and the confidence Laois will have garnered from their successful Division two campaign could carry them a long way. Finally, with the hurling championship just starting, we'll put an antepost bet on the record as well - Henry Shefflin to be top scorer at 2/1. Kilkenny may or may not retain their title, but it's hard to see them not getting four or five games, and with high scores likely in Leinster, King Henry is a worthy favourite in a market with question marks over many of the front runners. TO PLACE YOUR BETS, CLICK HERE NOW LADBROKES Tweet

Most Read Stories