Munster Senior Hurling Championship Quarter-Final (Extra-Time if Necessary)

Clare v Waterford @ Semple Stadium Thurles, Sunday 3.30pm (Colm Lyons, Cork)

With a full hand to choose from, Clare would undoubtedly be heading to Thurles on Sunday in confident mood of turning over last year’s All-Ireland Quarter-Final result.
Traditionally, Clare wouldn’t have the same innate hang-ups about Waterford as they would to a Tipperary or Cork or in more recent times Limerick.
Of course, that’s the same for Waterford who will view this match-up as the best of a bad lot in an ultra-competitive Munster Championship. However, there was the growing sense that things seemed to be falling into place for Brian Lohan and his side at the perfect time to peak for championship.
That is overtly seen through their improving performances and results as the National League developed but even positionally, there were less and less question marks over personnel. Captain John Conlon’s switch to centre-back certainly raised some initial eyebrows but his dominant displays against Dublin and particularly Kilkenny have certainly alleviated a problem position for the Banner in recent seasons.
Add in the seamless introductions of Mark Rodgers and Aaron Fitzgerald at either end of the field, the impressively consistent form of Diarmuid Ryan, Shane O’Donnell, Cathal Malone and of course Tony Kelly and the return from injury of David McInerney and Colm Galvin and the stars seemed to be aligning for Clare heading into the summer.
The spanner in the works of the proximity between the league and championship is the lottery of injuries that have ruled Shane O’Donnell out of contention for Sunday’s opener due to concussion along with Aaron Fitzgerald (ribs) and David McInerney (groin) who both had to retire early against Kilkenny, and Patrick O’Connor (cruciate).
Waterford are in the same boat regarding doubts about three-time All-Star midfielder Jamie Barron (quad) who was man-of-the-match against Clare last November along with a similar worry surrounding captain and full-back Conor Prunty. Clare needed to be adding to last year’s squad and can ill afford any absentees not to mind leaders such as O’Donnell and McInerney.
It was already a sizeable step into the unknown as one wonders if it was better to be tested against predominantly Munster opposition as Waterford were or to be pitted against Leinster’s finest as was the case for the Banner for a second successive season.
And, regardless of the personnel available, Clare’s defence needs to be at its miserly best after conceding 3-27 to the same opponents last year.
Clare have never reached that 36 point tally in any competitive outing before or since so disrupting Waterford’s supply-line and cutting them off at source is the Banner’s best means of prevailing for a first Munster Championship victory under Brian Lohan.

by Eoin Brennan