The talking is done. All roads lead to Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg this afternoon as Clare and Waterford open their Munster Championship campaigns with a clash that already carries more questions than answers.
For Clare, the big unknown hangs over their spring spent in Division 1B. While silverware and momentum will surely breed confidence, many pundits are undecided as to whether the step up to Munster Championship intensity will catch the Banner cold — a fate that so very nearly befell our league final opposition, Dublin, against Offaly in Tullamore last night. We have been warned !
Brian Lohan’s side used that same league to spread the net wide and build depth in the Clare squad . New faces such as Niall O'Farrell at six and right half forward Sean Rynne, who makes only his second Senior Championship start, will bring fresh energy to the Banner challenge, and if Clare are close to a full hand, all agree they remain a formidable proposition on home turf.
Fitness, though, is a query running through both camps. The condition of Mark Rodgers will be closely watched after the sharpshooter picked up an ankle knock in the league final. Having already battled separate ankle trouble last season, his importance to Clare’s attacking threat from play and frees cannot be overstated. The Scariff man has returned to scintillating in recent months.
There is also intrigue surrounding 2024 Hurler of the Year Shane O'Donnell, who has been named among the substitutes as he continues his recovery from a strain sustained in the Division 1B League decider. Between them, O’Donnell, Rodgers and the Banner’s Shane Meehan at top of the left exited the Gaelic Grounds with 2-16 of Clare’s tally. If the Éire Óg man can play a meaningful role , his presence could prove pivotal as the game unfolds.
Elsewhere, Clare have been boosted by the return of several key figures absent at times last season, with Conor Cleary, Diarmuid Ryan and team captain Tony Kelly all named on the team-sheet — a timely injection of experience and quality that has lit up so many recent summers for the Banner.
Waterford arrive with their own uncertainties but also with quiet ambition. Like O’Donnell they have armoury kept in reserve for this afternoon. Tadhg De Burca has recovered from a hamstring strain to take a seat on the bench where he’ll be joined by a certain Mr. Austin Gleeson. Mount Sion’s 2016 Young Hurler and outright Hurler of the Year returns to Queally’s panel after an early season hiatus.
The Déise are still chasing a first qualification from the round-robin phase since its introduction in 2018 but did qualify from Munster and made an All Ireland Final in 2020’s re-jigged championship due to Covid. They possess the talent that has and can trouble anyone on their day. There is a resilience about Peter Queally’s side — against Clare they’ll travel without fear, undaunted by either an opposition who they overturned in Walsh Park by 2-23 to 0-21last summer or the Ennis atmosphere they very nearly silenced the year before.
In a championship where opening day victories are gold dust, this opener feels finely balanced. Clare’s potential strength in depth and home advantage meets a Waterford side capable of unpredictability. The only certainty? We’ll all be experts by 4 o’clock and Round Two of the 2026 Munster Championship journey will have very different prospects for both sides.
It's a 2pm throw in at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg.
Match tickets at the ready … and downloaded !!
Up The Banner !
Head to head championship meetings in the last 5 years
