Although a few dissenting voices remain, the new provincial structure for the Munster Hurling Championship and Leinster Hurling Championship has largely been a resounding success. Moving closer to the regular All-Ireland hurling structure, here are all the remaining permutations for the provincial championships.
How the tables stand:
Leinster Hurling Championship:
That was an exciting 5 weeks!@Galway_GAA & @KilkennyCLG into @gaaleinster SHC final on Sunday, 1st July.@OfficialWexGAA still in the hunt for All-Ireland glory.@DubGAAOfficial bow out after conceding only 1 goal in 4 games.@Offaly_GAA relegated to Joe McDonagh Cup for 2019 pic.twitter.com/qEMAUpJWKT
— Leinster GAA (@gaaleinster) June 9, 2018
All attention turned toward Nowlan Park yesterday evening as Kilkenny welcomed Wexford in what amounted to a Leinster Hurling Championship semi-final.
With reigning provincial and All-Ireland champions Galway safely secured of their final spot, Kilkenny's defeat of Wexford means Brian Cody's men will now take on Galway in the Leinster final on Sunday, 1st of July.
Wexford will enter the All-Ireland series in third-place, waiting now for results in the Joe McDonagh Cup to know their fate.
For Dublin and Offaly, the championship ends here; in Offaly's case, the provincial championship will be off the cards until 2020 at the earliest.
Munster Hurling Championship:
Limerick in pole position after today’s win over Waterford. #LIMvWAT @LimerickGAAzine @LimerickCLG Munster Senior Hurling Championship Table: pic.twitter.com/sAME7w5obY
— JJ Bowles (Limerick's Oldest Pub) (@jjbowlespub) June 10, 2018
The Munster Hurling Championship will go right down to the wire.
In the Gaelic Grounds this afternoon, Limerick moved one step closer to a first Munster final since 2014. Convincing winners against Waterford, their 5-point total means a draw against Clare will be enough for a Munster final clash against Cork - should they overcome Waterford.
If Clare can beat Limerick in Ennis, and Cork overcome Waterford, it would be a Munster final between Clare and Cork. A draw in Ennis, combined with a Waterford win against Cork would leave Clare and Limerick in their first Munster final together since 1995.
Deciding to start with the kind of intensity that they have been bringing to the end of games recently, Tipperary suffered a second-half collapse this time around and Clare secured a memorable 1-23 to 1-21 win in Thurles this afternoon.
With this defeat, Tipperary end their championship run for 2018.
Remaining fixtures:
Sunday 17 June: Waterford vs Cork / Clare vs Limerick
