It’s The Christmas Eve of the Munster Hurling Championship

As I begin to hit the buttons on my laptop we are just over 24 hours away from something that we all look forward to each year, the start of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship.

This year’s championship could well be one to remember as it could well prove to be the last as we know it. From next year it is purposed that the competition will take a new look as each of the five teams taking part would be given four games to play at a minimum in a round robin league style competition, with each team guaranteed two home and two away games, with the top two teams in the league qualifying for the Munster Final.

Do we need such a competition? Do we want another league for our players to play in? The players might want games, but what about the supporters. It’s already expensive enough for most people to attend games, and if we are to present supporters with more games to attend, will it mean that for some games that supporters especially of the away teams will vote with their feet and keep their wallets in their pockets and decide to stay away from games.

The question has to be asked, why do our competitions now a days have to be played league style.

We already have a Munster League as a run up to the National League and now there is talks of a Munster League style Championship and even an All-Ireland super eights something similar that is to take place in football.

I and I know many others when we hear of new competitions or new look competition it is all down to money, and there is little or no consideration given to player burn out that arises every so often.

And if such a competition was to come in where would it leave the Club Championships.

Remember in Waterford, the Championship is run on a league style basis. Would clubs be expected to play without their inter county players in the league section of the competition and if they do, does it mean that they have to call up players from their intermediate or junior team and where would that leave these teams for clubs and the players not called up if there is an objection to players being allowed to play senior and then going back to play Intermediate or Junior.

The championships in Waterford could go knockout of course but where does that leave the players not part of the inter county set up. Do we deprive them of games all summer long, or of somewhat meaningful games anyway, as it could be argued that the county leagues are there for them, but how many of us supporters can hand on heart tell another person when league or Sargent Cup games take place.

Let’s hope that before there is any further tinkering of the championships we already have that the ordinary club player is thought of and that we never loose sign of the fact the strength of the G.A.A. is built on the foundations of the clubs up and down the county and the country.

With just over twenty four hours to go to the start of this year’s Munster Senior Hurling Championship the question on everyone’s lips is who can take the title off Tipperary.

Cork will be the first side to try, but will they succeed.

With the last few years the rebels have not shown themselves to be the side that they once were.

They are no longer winning underage titles and colleges titles like they once were, but they have won the Munster under 17 competition this year and they will argue that if they can build on that victory then they can return to where they once were.

Success at underage level does not always mean success at adult level and underage success on a given year does not mean it will follow at adult level as you need to have under 16, minor and under 21 teams performing well over a number of years and bringing players forward to stand any real chance of achieving big things in the adult grades.

Cork’s in the last few years up front have players as good as they have in any other county but it is in defence that they seem to have problems. Can they solve that this year and beat Tipperary on Sunday. It’s hard to know really. Getting the likes of Diarmuid O’Sullivan involved in the management side will be a help as he will have spent a great deal of times working with the backs in training it’s fair to assume, but no matter how good a player was if he gets involved in the coaching or management side of things when his player career comes to an end, if he does not have the materials he needs at his disposal, no matter what he tries to do could well prove useless.

Tipperary as we all know were well beaten in the recent National League Final and that will have hurt a lot of people in the Premier County. They like anyone else don’t like to lose to a neighbouring county.

But remember Tipperary are not just the reigning Munster Champions, they are also the All-Ireland Champions, and in the main no bad team win’s an All-Ireland and this Tipperary side have not become a bad team over night.

Make no mistake about it, Tipperary as hard as it is for someone living two miles from the county boundary to admit are going to be around for a time to come.

Kilkenny might not be as good as they once were and all involved with Tipperary know that. And they will want to show that they can take over from Kilkenny for a while as the number one side in the country. But one thing that most hurling supporters will know is that Tipperary while they can win Munster titles on a frequent basis, they find it very hard to put back to back titles together, so on the even bigger picture will give the other leading sides hope that this September could well be their time to shine in Croke Park. But again, not too many sides were given that chance to do so in recent times apart from Tipperary and Kilkenny.

Clare will be looking to show what they can do this year. Apart from Tipperary and Kilkenny they are the most recent winners of the Liam McCarthy Cup.

Many at this point make them the third ranked team in the province and because of the way the draws worked out for this year, they have a chance of making the provincial decider and therefore move up the ranking somewhat.

But first they have to overcome the challenge of Limerick and it has to be remembered that the Banner Men have not really impacted at this level since they won the All-Ireland Final back in 2013.

They won the League last year and were involved in a relegation play off this year which will have some wondering will 2017 on the championship scene be another to forget for the Banner Men.

They have some big name players in the likes of Tony Kelly, Colm Galvin, Shane O’Donnell and Brendan Bugler but have they enough players behind them that can step up to the mark. They have not won a Munster Final since 1998 and while they have talent in their ranks it’s hard to see them break that long spell without a Munster Title this year.

Limerick are a side that is hard to work out.

They are prove that success at underage level does not mean success will follow at adult level. The Treaty men have tasted plenty of success down the years, similar in a way to Galway at Minor and Under 21 levels and even at colleges levels but can’t seem to bring the talent they have forward to the next level.

Many would have felt that they could have come out of Division 1B in the National League this year, but once again failed to do so. While playing in Division 1B of the league has not stopped sides from winning the league in recent years as the last three winners have come from that league, when it comes to the championship and preparing for it, you really have to be playing in the top division of the league where you are guaranteed five strong games, something you are not always guaranteed in division 1B as at least two games could well prove to a mere walk in the park at times for the better sides in the division.

Just as Clare have the players to beat Limerick in the championship, Limerick have some fine players who can beat Clare, but can they go on then and win the next day.

And so to Waterford.

Derek McGrath’s side you feel have to win something this year. Minor and Under 21 Championships are won in recent years, but now supporters will want to see more won at a higher level.

The county has not won a Munster Final since 2010. That’s nothing when you consider that the Déise County went from 1963 to 2002 without winning one in the past, but many of the current Waterford supports are brought up with success and would like now to see more.

Winning the league would have set Waterford up nicely going into the championship. Had Waterford beaten Galway and gone on to win the league it would mean that the side were playing competitive hurling together for a longer period. Yes the side are playing in challenge games like last week’s game with Limerick and this evening’s with Offaly, but you cannot beat a good competitive game to keep you on your toes.

Waterford right now are number two in Munster behind Tipperary and are best equipped to challenge them for the crown in Munster this year.

Tight throughout the side Waterford has plenty of talent, with players like Austin Gleeson, Tadhg De Búrca, Kevin Moran, Michael Walsh and Stephen Bennett.

It’s no secret that I for one am not a fan of the sweeper system deployed by the Waterford management side in recent years. If Waterford were to man on man with the winners of tomorrow’s game between Tipperary and Cork, they stand a good chance of winning a place in the provincial decider and once there you never know what might happen.

So who will win this year’s Munster Hurling Crown.

The head is telling me Tipperary, the heart says Waterford. As a Waterford supporter, I hope it’s the heart that is right.