Clare v Kilkenny, Allianz League League 1 Semi Final Preview

Sunday, April 22
Allianz Hurling League Division I semi-final
Clare v Kilkenny, Semple Stadium, 2pm

Clare and Kilkenny get an intriguing afternoon’s action in Semple Stadium underway when they meet in the first of the Allianz Hurling League semi-finals at 2pm.

As Division IB champions, following their impressive comeback victory over Limerick two weeks ago, the unbeaten Banner men get the chance to fight it out with the Cats for a place in the Allianz League final on May 6.

Kilkenny, it seems, are keen to win back the Allianz League title for the first time since 2009, especially after the near-hysteria that greeted their defeat to Dublin in last year’s final. That has long been consigned to memory with a subsequent All-Ireland final win and by topping the table in Division IA this year with four wins from five, the defeat to Cork on Leeside the only blot on their copy book.

“I think it’s very important for us to put up a good show on Sunday and if we are good enough to win we’ll have a league final to look forward to another competitive game coming into the championship,” said captain Eoin Larkin in an interview with GAA.ie last week.

The shortened league format has hit the Cats the harder than most this year, as they are not due out in the championship until June 23 and defeat on Sunday would leave them without another competitive game for over two months. A league final on May 6 would bridge that wide gap nicely for Brian Cody and his charges.

With Henry Shefflin returning to non-contact training this week, things are looking particularly rosy in the Kilkenny garden at the moment, especially after they secured their place in Sunday’s semi-final with a 3-26 to 0-10 trouncing of Galway. Richie Power, who was sent off in the defeat to Cork, returns from suspension, although Richie Hogan and Noel Hickey remain sidelined through injury. John Tennyson could feature as he continues he recovery from long-term injury.

For Clare, centre-back James McInerney is ruled out with a broken thumb, with Pat O’Connor the favourite to switch to the No. 6 slot from wing back. Colin Ryan will undergo a late fitness test to decide if he can take his place at corner forward.

Speaking this week, Clare captain Pat Donnelan said Sunday’s game will provide an accurate gauge of where the Banner are ahead of their Munster Championship clash with Waterford on June 17. He also warned of the dangers of failing to perform against Kilkenny.

"If you don’t perform against them they can obliterate you and can put you away early. We’ve played well in the League so far but at the same time we know that there’s a big gap between what we’ve been playing so far as opposed to Kilkenny, who have been setting the standards.

"We know where we’re at and if we want to be challenging against those sort of teams we have to be performing at another level or two up and we know that the next day we’ll have to start well, we’ll have to bring intensity, we’ll have to bring a physicality and performance that will match them and not get thrown aside like teams have by them before.”

There is no doubt that Clare will be making a massive step up from the standard of opposition they have faced this spring, although Limerick will have real designs on making inroads in this year’s championship and Davy Fitzgerald’s side bookended their Division IB engagements with wins over the Treaty men.

Clare’s last appearance in an Allianz League semi-final, was, coincidentally, against the Cats back in 2001, when they won on a 2-21 to 3-8 scoreline before losing to Tipperary in the final. The also met in the 2005 Allianz League final, with Kilkenny winning out on that occasion, by 3-20 to 0-15.

Victory would be a notable achievement for Clare, but one suspects that the Cats have real designs on bringing a league title back to Noreside for the first time in three years, and they might just have too much class for a young Banner outfit on Sunday