Rivalry renewed as Limerick face trip to Cork for League opener

LIMERICK senior hurlers get their 2023 Allianz Hurling League Division 1 season underway on Saturday evening when they make the trip to play Cork in Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Both sides will be anxious to get off to a winning start to the league with the Munster championship now only 11 weeks away.

An awful lot can, and will, happen in the meantime. Cork are under new management with Pat Ryan taking over from Kieran Kingston this year.

The Sarsfields man has had All-Ireland success at U20 level with the Rebels and will look to hit the ground running in the league. He has already won silverware in the form of the pre-season Munster Hurling League.

Limerick come into the game with Cork with one win and one loss from their two games in the Munster Hurling League. That defeat came against Saturday’s opponents Cork.

Limerick manager John Kiely has used the pre-season to blood a large number of new players, giving most of the All-Ireland winning side from last July a rest. He has included seven of the side that started the All-Ireland Final last July for the Cork game.

There has been little to separate the sides in recent years during the league. Cork, smarting from the 2021 All-Ireland final defeat, earned a 2-19 to 1-13 win at the TUS Gaelic Grounds last February. The previous year saw Limerick beat Cork by eight points at the same venue, 0-33 to 2-19.

Limerick and Cork have had a storied rivalry in recent years as well, beginning with the epic draw in the 2018 Munster Hurling Championship and the All-Ireland semi-final the same year. Limerick versus Cork is live on RTE on Saturday and the fixture has a 7:30pm throw-in.