HURLING: Provincial Champions Ready for Take Off as Galway Host Wexford

PROVINCIAL HURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS READY FOR TAKE OFF

And so it begins – the race for the Liam MacCarthy Cup. The ‘round robin’ stages
in both the GAA hurling Leinster and Munster championships get underway next
weekend. Leinster features three games on Saturday while Munster launch their
campaign with two big clashes on Sunday.

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LEINSTER

Saturday: Antrim v Dublin, Corrigan Park, 2.00PM; Galway v Wexford, Pearse Stadium, 4.30PM; Kilkenny v Westmeath, UPMC Nowlan Park, 6.00PM

MUNSTER

Sunday: Waterford v Limerick, FBD Semple Stadium, 2.00PM; Clare v Tipperary,
Ennis, 4.00PM.

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GALWAY v WEXFORD

Galway senior manager Henry Shefflin has been chatting to Galway Bay FM’s Niall Canavan.

This will be the 15th championship clash between the counties, with each having
won six and drawn two in the previous fourteen. They have met in five of the last
six championships with Galway winning three and drawing two, the most recent
of which was last year when they tied on 1-19 each.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS
2022: Galway 1-19 Wexford 1-19 (Leinster ‘round robin’)
2020: Galway 1-27 Wexford 0-17 (Leinster quarter-final)
2019: Galway 0-16 Wexford 0-16 (Leinster ‘round robin’)
2018: Galway 1-23 Wexford 0-17 (Leinster ‘round robin’)
2017: Galway 0-29 Wexford 1-17 (Leinster final)

*Galway beat Wexford by eight points in Round 1 of this year’s Allianz hurling
League in Chadwicks Wexford Park.

*Wexford are seeking their first win over Galway in the championship since the
1996 All-Ireland semi-final, which was also the last time they won the All- Ireland title.

*Galway won three and lost two of their five Allianz League games this year,
finishing third in their group; Wexford won and lost four in the same group, finishing fifth (of six).

*Goals have been scarce in recent Galway-Wexford championship games. The
last five games in 2017-18-19-20-22 produced only five goals (3-2 to Galway).

*Galway manager Henry Shefflin played eleven times for Kilkenny against Wexford in the championship, winning ten and losing one (2004 Leinster semi-final).

ANTRIM v DUBLIN

They last met in the championship two years ago when Dublin won a Leinster
quarter-final by18 points in Pairc Tailteann. Antrim last beat Dublin in the
championship in 2010, winning an All-Ireland qualifier by a point in Croke Park.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS
2021: Dublin 3-31 Antrim 0-22 (Leinster quarter-final)
2010: Antrim 1-17 Dublin 0-19 (Qualifier)
2009: Dublin 2-16 Antrim 0-12 (Leinster quarter-final)
1948: Dublin 8-13 Antrim 2-6 (All-Ireland semi-final)
1944: Dublin 6-12 Antrim 3-1 (All-Ireland semi-final)

*Antrim are back in the Leinster champions after missing out last year. In 2021
they lost to Dublin by 18 points in the quarter-final.

*Dublin beat Antrim by 0-28 to 2-19 in their Allianz League clash in Parnell Park
in February.

*Dublin finished fourth in Division 1 Group B this year, winning two, losing two
and drawing one of their five games. Antrim finished fifth in the same group
(one win, four defeats). Their only win came against Laois.

KILKENNY v WESTMEATH

They meet in the Leinster championship for a second successive year, with Kilkenny having won by 16 points in Mullingar last year.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS
2022: Kilkenny 5-23 Westmeath 1-19 (Leinster ‘round robin)
2006: Kilkenny 1-23 Westmeath 1-9 (Leinster SHC)
1989: Kilkenny 4-29 Westmeath 3-5 (Leinster SHC)
1987: Kilkenny 4-20 Westmeath 4-5 (Leinster SHC)
1985: Kilkenny 1-30 Westmeath 1-10 (Leinster SHC)

*Kilkenny head in the championship as defending Leinster champions, having
won four and lost two of their six provincial games last year. Westmeath won
one, drew one and lost three of their five games.

*Kilkenny reached this year’s Allianz League final where they lost to Limerick.
Overall they won five and lost two of their seven games.

*Westmeath lost all five of their Division 1 group games but survived in the top
group, thinks to a four-point win over Laois in the relegation play-off.

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WATERFORD v LIMERICK

Their most recent championship meetings came in last year’s Munster round
robin which Limerick won by three points in the Gaelic Grounds.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS
2022: Limerick 0-30 Waterford 2-21 (Munster round robin)
2021: Limerick 1-25 Waterford 0-17 (All-Ireland semi-final)
2020: Limerick 0-30 Waterford 0-19 (All-Ireland final)
2020: Limerick 0-25 Waterford 0-21 (Munster final)
2019: Limerick 2-24 Waterford 0-10 (Munster round robin)

*Waterford are seeking their first championship win over Waterford since 2011
when they won a Munster semi-final by a point. Limerick have won all six clashes since then.

*This rivalry goes back to 1912 when they first met in the championship. In all,
they have met 43 times with Limerick having won 26 to Waterford’s 14 while
there were the three draws.

*Limerick are reigning All-Ireland and Allianz League champions, having added
the latter title earlier in the month, beating Kilkenny in the final. They won six of
seven games.

*Waterford won two, drew one and lost two of their five League games.

*John Kiely is in his seventh season as Limerick manager. His championship record reads: Their championship record over the last six seasons reads: Played 31,
Won 24, Drew 2, Lost 5.

*Davy Fitzgerald is back with Waterford, having previously managed them in
2008-2011.

*Goals have been scarce in recent Limerick-Waterford championship games –
their last five championships games have produced only five goals.

CLARE v TIPPERARY

They met in last year’s Munster round robin, with Clare winning by eight points in Thurles.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
2022: Clare 3-21 Tipperary 2-16 (Munster round robin)
2021: Tipperary 3-23 Clare 2-22 (Munster semi-final)
2019: Tipperary 3-21 Clare 0-17 (Munster ‘round robin’)
2018: Clare 1-23 Tipperary 1-21 (Munster ‘round robin’)
2017: Tipperary 0-28 Clare 3-16 (All-Ireland quarter-final)

*This will the 59th championship meeting between the counties with Tipperary
having won 39 to Clare’s 15, with four draws in the previous 58.

*It’s 10-3 in Tipperary’s favour in their championship clashes with Clare since
2000.

*Tipperary reached this year’s Allianz League semi-final (losing to Limerick),
winning five of six games. Clare won two, drew one and lost two of five games.

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GAA HURLING ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023

LEINSTER
Round 1: April 22: Antrim v Dublin, Corrigan Park, 2.0; Galway v Wexford,
Pearse Stadium, 4.30; Kilkenny v Westmeath, UPMC Nowlan Park, 6.0.

Round 2: April 29: Wexford v Antrim, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 5.0; Dublin v
Westmeath, Parnell Park, 6.0; April 30: Kilkenny v Galway, UPMC Nowlan Park,
2.0.

Round 3: May 6: Dublin v Wexford, Croke Park, 5.0; Westmeath v Galway, TEG
Cusack Park, 5.0; April 7: Antrim v Kilkenny, Corrigan Park, 3.0.

Round 4: May 20: Kilkenny v Dublin, UPMC Nowlan Park, 6.0; May 21: Galway v
Antrim, Pearse Stadium, 2.0; Wexford v Westmeath, Chadwicks Wexford Park,
3.0.

Round 5: May 28: Wexford v Kilkenny, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 2.0; Dublin v
Galway, Croke Park, 2.0; Westmeath v Antrim, TEG Cusack Park, 2.0.

MUNSTER

Round 1: April 23: Waterford v Limerick, FBD Semple Stadium; Clare v Tipperary, Ennis.

Round 2: April 29: Limerick v Clare, TUS Gaelic Grounds; April 30: Cork v Waterford, Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Round 3: May 6: Cork v Tipperary, Pairc Ui Chaoimh; May 13: Waterford v Clare,
FBD Semple Stadium.

Round 4: May 21: Clare v Cork, Ennis; Tipperary v Limerick, FBD Semple Stadium.

Round 5: May 28: Limerick v Cork, TUS Gaelic Grounds; Tipperary v Waterford,
FBD Semple Stadium.

Final: June 11

JOE McDONAGH CUP

Round 1: Kerry 1-26 Down 1-14; Carlow 5-23 Kildare 0-19; Offaly 3-19 Laois 1-
22.

Round 2: April 16: Laois 7-24 Down 0-14; Offaly 2-22 Kildare 3-11; Kerry 0-21
Carlow 0-21.

Round 3: April 22: Kildare v Kerry; Carlow v Laois; Offaly v Down.

Round 4: May 6/7: Offaly v Kerry; Laois v Kildare; Down v Carlow.

Round 5: May 13: Kildare v Down; Carlow v Offaly; Kerry v Laois.