The season is getting into gear The Hurling Season has finally begun but the fireworks are still to be ignited by a number of so called championship contenders. Cork and Waterford are gone from Munster campaign which means that Tipp and Clare must battle it out for an All= Ireland semi final slot and the Cats roll on as per usual. It has been a very interesting if not spectacular couple of weeks with Clare recording two Munster championship wins back to back for the first time in five years while the Waterford players had enough of their coach Justin McCarthy and moved him on. Tipperary showed up some major defects in the Rebel set up and further enhanced their own reputation as serious contenders to the crown. The Limerick defence was caught off guard once again and Offaly fall well short of upsetting the boys from the Marble City. Let's not forget the Dubs and what a chance they had to make a Leinster final only to blow it themselves the first day and lose out to the better Wexford team in the replay. There is so much to talk about but hopefully much more to look forward to in terms of quality hurling over the next few weeks. Clare's wins over Waterford and Limerick The Banner boys are back in the big time again as their superior appetite, fitness and scoring ability have put them in with a serious chance of winning a Munster title. They are strong and agile in defence and very committed in the middle of the park which has left them supplying the attack with plenty of possession. For the last two games they have played, they have converting those opportunities to great effect. Previously high scoring games would have not been their forte and scoring goals would not have been a particular strength either. I know it is early days yet and people will point to the fact that there was disharmony in the Waterford camp and they had a big advantage coming into the Limerick game because of that win over the Deise, but let's give credit where credit is due. They have made progress, they are taking different options when in possession, they have added pace to their attack but more importantly they have a huge height advantage over most defences with Gilligan, Carmody, Griffin and the giant himself Diarmuid McMahon. They have so many options now from puck outs and clearances from defence and will not be pushed around too easily. Okay, there was an element of luck to some of the goals scored against Limerick but in this game you make your own luck and they can look forward to a great day out in Limerick against their fiercest rivals Tipperary in what is one of the greatest days in Irish sport - Munster hurling final day. Tipperary's success over Cork The hay is saved and Cork are beat - that was the order of the day in Pairc Ui Chaoimh recently in front of over 42,000 supporters. Tipp had not won on Leeside for over 80 years and had failed on so many occasions when they seemed to have it won, but this time they were full value for their win as a storming finish put the nails in Cork's coffin. After twenty minutes of the game it looked as if Cork would run away with it but a crucial goal scored by Eoin Kelly reduced the gap considerably and left Tipp in a much stronger position going in at half time. Tipperary in that first half failed to cope with the running and positioning of Cathal Naughton in the Cork attack - he caused major problems for the their defence and it took them a long time to get to grips with it. On other days it might just have been too late because the damage was done and scoring four points was an excellent return for Naughton. However Tipperary did man mark him for the second half and it paid off to great effect, with the Rebel attack now struggling to score. On numerous chances on both sides went astray and as a Corkman looking on, I had to wonder why it took so long for the introduction of Joe Deane and Patrick Horgan and why was Timmy McCarthy replaced when he was the best attacker on view for Cork. There was no Neil Ronan and on the following Tuesday night in a club championship match he scored 10 points from play. That's not sour grapes on my side but recognising the fact that the match could still have been won if the right options were taken. That is not taking from the blue and gold victory either because when they had to make the hard calls, they were made and with it the result went their way. So it's hats off to Tipp, they have been the most consistent team so far this year and have set the marker for others to follow. Will Clare and Tipperary get the credit they deserve at this stage? I feel not because Cork and Waterford have not gone away and with Davy Fitzgerald at the helm in the sunny south east, you can expect a far leaner, meaner and hungrier team for the second half of the season which is when silverware is decided. No doubt that Davy will bring a fresh approach and new ideas to the training room but the big question that will remain to be answered is - will he have the ability on big match days to make the hard calls? Only time will tell. What of the Rebels? Well the hard calls have to be made now by the selectors because it is clear that some of the guys who started the last day are not good enough for senior at the moment and more game time needs to be given to some of the elder statesmen because there time is not up yet. It will be the difference to their season. Niall McCarthy, Joe Deane and Neil Ronan would make a difference to any attack. Kilkenny v Offaly Joe Dooley has been quite clear in his press interviews that his team are well short of the required standard to compete with Kilkenny at this stage and he knows in his own heart and soul that it will take another few attempts to oust the Cats from their perch. On a day when they threw everything at Kilkenny to upset them, they still ended up losing very heavily and fell far short in the scoring stakes in the second half period. However, they cannot afford to give up the chase now. They need to keep working at it and hope like all of us that the Cats might concentrate a bit more on football like their neighbours in Wexford and take the foot off the pedal for a year or two. There are two chances of that happening -slim and none and things are looking good again for them with the maestro Shefflin returning. Wexford v Dublin Having watched the first game, I felt that the Dubs had blown their chance to get to the Leinster final. They totally outplayed Wexford all over the field bar the score board and to miss so many goal scoring opportunities in that first half , I felt it would come back to haunt them and so it did. When you create the chances like they did, they have to be scored because it is rarely you will get a second chance. True to Wexford pride, they regrouped and were the better team the second day and deserved their win. They will need to improve considerably to topple the champions but they must believe they can and come up with a game plan to upset them. It is easier said than done! Tweet

Most Read Stories