Champions Limerick open ‘drive for five’ with Clare showdown

Aaron Gillane, of Limerick, in action against Cian Nolan, of Clare, during the 2023 Munster senior hurling championship final at the TUS Gaelic Grounds last June | PICTURE: Sportsfile

placeholder image — Aaron Gillane, of Limerick, in action against Cian Nolan, of Clare, during the 2023 Munster senior hurling championship final at the TUS Gaelic Grounds last June | PICTURE: Sportsfile

Limerick take on Clare in the opening round of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship this Sunday

MUNSTER and All-Ireland champions Limerick open the defence of their titles with a mouth-watering Munster senior hurling championship round robin fixture with Clare at Cusack Park, Ennis this Sunday, at 2pm.

The demand for tickets for the big derby clash has been huge in the weeks leading up to the game. The game is a repeat of the 2023 Munster senior hurling final when Limerick edged their neighbours 1-23 to 1-22 to complete a five-in-a-row of provincial senior hurling titles.

Clare go into next weekend's clash as Allianz League champions following their final win over Kilkenny at Semple Stadium, Thurles earlier this month. Earlier, Limerick had lost out to ‘the Cats’ on a 3-17 to 1-15 scoreline in their League semi-final clash at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

The Treaty team will be without star midfielder Darragh O’Donovan who picked up a calf injury and is set to be out for the first two rounds of the Munster championship against Clare and Tipperary.

Speaking at the launch of the Eir GAA All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in Croke Park last week, Limerick captain Declan Hannon spoke about the loss O’Donovan will be to the Limerick side: “We have been fairly unlucky the last number of years picking up injuries and now Darragh O'Donovan is gone as well, which is a huge shame.

“I think he is a highly underrated player and he will try his level best to get back for the latter stages of the championship. We just have to perform as best we can now with the players in the squad that are fit and ready to go.”

Hannon appreciates how important this first round game is in the context of the championship with games coming thick and fast.

Hannon added: “We are really excited to get up the road and obviously Clare are the in-form team at the moment, and they showed that throughout the league this year they have been seriously consistent and performing to a high standard. It's going to be a massive task for us to go to Ennis and try and get a result, but it's one we are going to try and enjoy as well.”