Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Cork's Seamus Harnedy and Waterford's Dessie Hutchinson.INPHO FreeMunster Matters As Cork and Waterford achieve lift-off, Clare and Tipperary feel the pressure Sunday’s round two games changes the complexion in Munster. 6.30am, 29 Apr 2025 Share options Fintan O'Toole NOT EVERY MUNSTER hurling Sunday can rest comfortably in the catalogue of classics. In truth the dramatic opening shots that were fired to commence the 2025 edition, set an unreasonably high bar for what to expect. The remarkable finales which saw Declan Dalton in Ennis and Darragh McCarthy in Thurles nail the frees in pressure atmospheres that secured draws, made for compelling viewing. Round 2 was somewhat different. Where the opening day cast doubt over the outcome until the last blast of the referee’s whistle, in the second series of games that sense of mystery had been removed heading down the stretch. At Walsh Park on Sunday, the opportunism of Stephen Bennett to find the net in the 57th minute sent the home team six points clear. Waterford outscored Clare 0-7 to 0-5 thereafter, but it was Bennett’s second goal of the afternoon that essentially settled the contest. The result at Páirc Uí Chaoimh was known far earlier. You could make a case for each of Cork’s three opening quarter goals being critical, the concessions hitting Tipperary with blows they could not withstand. And yet it ultimately was a game that hinged on that opening piece of action when Darragh McCarthy was red-carded. Cork may have squandered a 12-point advantage against Clare, but they were never going to fail to convert an extra-man advantage over the course of 70 minutes into a victory. If those games were of the more straightforward variety and the conclusions were of the more low-key type, the distributions of points in the Munster table is still telling. In the Munster hurling race, every point on the board matters. The first day draws brought something for everyone, a return to winners and losers generates greater consequences. Waterford and Cork achieved lift-off with their opening wins of the season. They both needed it. In the post-match summations there were some instructive quotes from the winning camps. “We’re fed up of being finished hurling in May, we’ve been so nearly there all the time,” remarked Stephen Bennett, Waterford’s top scorer, attacking talisman, and symbol of resilience in coping with an injury problem that he knows will require a double hip replacement when he does eventually retire. Advertisement Stephen Bennett of Waterford after scoring a goal.Natasha Barton / INPHO Natasha Barton / INPHO / INPHO Waterford may have contested the 2017 All-Ireland final, the 2020 decider in December, and a 2021 semi-final in Croke Park, but they have been a peripheral player in the national hurling conversation since then. Their round-robin record has made for wretched reading with just three wins from 20 games before throw-in on Sunday. Correcting alarming trends will help. Sunday lifted them to four victories in this format. It’s the second successive year they have won their opening game. They are now unbeaten in their last three Munster ties at Walsh Park, a venue that either had the shutters down to be unavailable or was the site of bad days at the hurling office. And at the sixth time of asking in Munster since 2018, they turned Clare over. There was a similar note of caution in the words of Bennett and Peter Queally – a bright start will quickly fade from memory if it doesn’t translate into a prolonged summer. Waterford had three points from their first two matches last season, but lost games from thereon and failed to emerge from Munster. Queally’s public view was sharply shifting to Limerick next week, in the privacy of the Waterford dressing-room, he will hammer home that point repeatedly. Waterford Manager Peter Queally and Clare Manager Brian Lohan shake hands at the final whistle.Natasha Barton / INPHO Natasha Barton / INPHO / INPHO The scoring prominence of Bennett, the growing emergence of Mark Fitzgerald, the defensive solidity their Prunty-De Búrca spine provides, the attacking verve Jamie Barron instils from the half-forward line – all those characteristics shone through against Clare, and yet they must ensure this was not an isolated display. Look back over Cork’s performances in the month of April and at times it has been a curiously mixed bag. After their league final dismantling of Tipperary, Pat Ryan described the second period as the worst display in a half during his time in charge. The Clare game featured the concern of a 12-point lead being wiped out after half-time. And when renewing acquaintances with Tipperary, Ryan wasn’t glowing in his second-half assessment either. “We did well enough in the first five or six minutes. After that they got a bit of easy ball out. Our energy wasn’t high enough, we weren’t pressing high enough, we weren’t working hard enough. They were able to work the ball even without a spare man, and create some excellent scores. “I often say about us, we can only go at one speed and that is flat out. We can’t be in third or fourth gear, it is not the way we play. We have to be in fifth gear.” That was a salient point. When they hit their stride and reach that top gear, Cork excel and blow away opponents. They struck nine goals in their three April matches and the fact that eight of those came in the first half was a sign of the intent they have showed from the off. Tim O’Mahony at midfield, Darragh Fitzgibbon at centre-forward, and Brian Hayes closer to goal, have been in terrific form. The Horgan-Harnedy double act continues to endure, as represented by the weighty 1-14 tally they combined for on Sunday, while Robbie O’Flynn and Brian Roche added spark off the bench to reinforce the theory of improved panel depth. Cork’s Robbie O'Flynn and Bryan O Mara of Tipperary.James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO Getting all the personnel parts into the right mix from the start remains a challenge and producing a consistency of performance. There was an odd slackness to Cork’s play at stages on Sunday, and while the 15 v 14 factor tipped the odds sharply in their favour, they still posted 4-27 on the board. For a team who had zero points from their first two games in 2024, they’ll gratefully seize their current top of the table spot before the three-week break. After David Reidy’s free nudged Clare into the lead deep in injury-time last Sunday week, it was hard to contemplate a scenario where Cork would have three points from four a week later, and Clare would have a single point. Yet the momentum has flipped. Clare’s cause isn’t being helped by the continuous absence of Conor Cleary and Shane O’Donnell, and the fresh losses since opening day of Tony Kelly and Diarmuid Ryan. That’s a lot of key manpower to get used to being without. For all the leadership that Reidy, Ryan Taylor, Peter Duggan, and Shane Meehan provided in Walsh Park, they were soundly beaten. The lack of energy at times – the first half against Cork, the opening and closing quarters against Waterford – is hard to explain, but it feeds into Clare’s difficulties. Peter Duggan and John Conlon of Clare in action against Patrick Curran and Kevin Mahony of Waterford.Natasha Barton / INPHO Natasha Barton / INPHO / INPHO The high of a thrilling draw can be hard to come to terms with. Tipperary looked to bounce into their next outing after the Limerick match and then were hit by that early game-ending setback. There was only so much Robert Doyle, Jason Forde, and Jake Morris could do to stem the tide. Liam Cahill rightfully hailed the spirit of his players after the loss to Cork, just as Brian Lohan had praised the fight of his All-Ireland winning charges after their draw with Cork. But both men will know, halfway through their programme of Munster games, that the sense of uncertainty has grown and will hover over their squads for the next fortnight until a Saturday evening collision in Ennis that will define their seasons. Defeat in their third match would mean three points is the maximum tally they could finish with in the table. No team has qualified out of Munster in the five round-robin championships with anything less than four points. At the moment it’s not a lost cause, Cork were pointless after two games last year and scrambled out by winning their last two matches. Clare and Tipperary remain in control of their 2025 hurling fate, but the pressure has cranked up considerably. Fintan O'Toole Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “As Cork and Waterford achieve lift-off, Clare and Tipperary feel the pressure”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “As Cork and Waterford achieve lift-off, Clare and Tipperary feel the pressure”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Munster Matters News in 60 seconds Cavaliers scorch Heat in record playoff win, Warriors down Rockets 11 mins ago Business end Leinster's familiar semi-final with Saints features key differences Murray Kinsella 'That’s the next step for Ryan... you just need that consistency' FreeDominant Leeds edge ahead in Championship title race after 4-0 win over play-off chasers Bristol City FreeThe kingdom Kerry march to Munster U20 four-in-a-row with eight-point win over Cork FreeCrucible O'Sullivan and Brecel book quarter-final spots with quickfire wins Ireland trio included in Six Nations Team of the Championship 'Bullshit is how I would describe it. No way was that a yellow card' Man in the Middle French referee Pierre Brousset to take charge of Leinster's Champions Cup semi against Saints 'I don't see Dublin being an All-Ireland contender after that' - Paul Flynn Leeds unveil images of planned 56,500-capacity Elland Road redevelopment more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account