We're now past the halfway point in the group stages of the Allianz Hurling League and already some patterns have begun to emerge.
Naming a strong, settled team seems to have work for Clare and Wexford who have performed above expectations, Tipperary are motoring away nicely, Cork and Kilkenny have one win from three after a mix of the good and bad, while Waterford have been the slowest out of the gate.
Nine-time All-Ireland winner Tommy Walsh joined show regular Shane Stapleton alongside Ger and Eoin on OTB AM to discuss the games so far, and here are the major talking points.
Clare have found some much-needed balance
Just how good are Clare? On one hand you've got the core group of an All-Ireland winning team which includes some of the most skillful players in the country like Tony Kelly and Podge Collins. But on the other you've got a county about to hit the 20 year mark without a Munster title, while they still haven't re-visited Croke Park in the summer since their All-Ireland success.
A plethora of retirements in the winter only added to the sense of pre-season wonder about where the Banner are, but 6 points from 6 in the league would suggest they're on the right path. While they haven't experimented as much as the other counties, Tommy feels the addition of a few players who add something different to the panel is having a major benefit.
"There's a massive difference for me in Clare this year in that there's huge balance. They always had these small, skillful and fast players, but now they have Deasy and Duggan thrown into the mix. So now when the short option isn't working they can throw it up long and you have a chance of scoring a goal. I think they'll be a serious outfit this year. They've set their stall out so it'll be interesting to see now will they start trying out new players or try keep momentum going. I think the wing-back Michael O'Malley was brilliant yesterday so he'a real find for them."
Waterford's eggs are all in the Munster basket
Waterford players stand for the national anthem ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
So far there haven't been any major alarm bells ringing outside of Waterford regarding their slow league campaign. While there is genuine and often merited concern in the county with respect to their scoring totals (they've averaged just 16 points a game so far), the majority still feel their approach to the league is understandable given their late return to training and forthcoming congested Munster Championship. That's a view backed by Tommy, but he did warn of the potential ramifications if they don't at least pick up a few wins before the summer.
"They need to be careful that they don't keep losing because they've no momentum at the moment. If they do keep losing it'll drain the confidence from the players - they've been on the road a while so they'll need a win to get some life back into the panel. The scrutiny on them with regards their system can't be easy, so if they could get a win it's amazing the way their season could change. The most important match of the year for them will be the first round of the Munster Championship. If they get a win there the momentum could just take them off for the summer, so I think that's what Derek McGrath might be hoping for."
Cody's Cubs take their first step
Kilkenny's win in Waterford was crucial for a number of reasons. A loss would have been their fourth competitive defeat in a row - a run unfathomable during the Brian Cody era - but they can now look ahead to the visit of Tipperary to Nowlan Park at the weekend with renewed optimism. It's still early days as to predicting how far this new look Cats team can go this year, but Tommy is hopeful they'll be given the time to adapt to the rigors of inter-county action.
"That win will give a lot of the lads huge confidence, but just as important is they're finding players they'll need to use come Championship. We still need a lot of patience with this team because we're next up against a Tipperary team in brilliant form, so fans need to realise the wins won't just start flowing.
The big advantage we had in my time was that young players were already coming in to a successful team. So coming in as a young player you could be selfish and only think about yourself because the team was winning anyway so there wasn't as much focus on your performance. So this current Kilkenny team are not expected to perform as individuals, they're expected to win games as a team."
Are more teams adapting to the sweeper?
Tipperary's Padraic Maher and Wexford's Lee Chin during Saturday's game ©INPHO/Ken Sutton
The debate on whether Waterford, Wexford or any other team can win an All-Ireland playing a sweeper system is not exactly a new one in hurling circles. Tipperary's now regular dismantling of the tactic as well as Waterford's poor league so far has renewed the discussion, with Shane Stapleton breaking down how quick wing-play is being used to negate the impact of the sweeper who thrives of breaking ball.
While Tommy wouldn't go as far as to say Liam McCarthy definitely cannot arrive on a sweeper's shores, he did highlight how difficult it can be playing in a forward line with one less player to work with.
"When you're a defender and you're one-versus-one it's much easier because the two go up for it, most of the time it'll hit the ground anyway, and the two of you can fight for it. However if you're a forward in a team playing a sweeper system and the ball hits the deck there'll be a sweeper from the other team there. So it's so difficult for a forward, even for confidence. For lads like Brick Walsh and Maurice Shanahan it suits them because they'll win the ball, but for most guys like Patrick Curran and Dunford they're better waiting for breaking ball to dart onto.
I know Clare won the 2013 All-Ireland playing a similar style of defensive hurling, but they haven't been even getting to semi-finals or winning Munster Championships even though they won three U21s in a row. So how successful is it? Teams like Clare should be contesting All-Ireland semi-finals every year. I know Waterford have reached that stage regularly but they haven't gone the whole way which they need to do."
Cork needed more "fight" - and they found it
Even though Cork have failed to build on their opening win over Kilkenny, Tommy thinks there's still plenty of positives to take from John Meyler's first month of competitive hurling. There's no doubt that the 1st half in Cusack Park was well below their level as they shipped 16 points to Clare, but Tommy was impressed by how they were able to respond after the restart.
"For too many years when Cork were in games like last Sunday they would be beaten by 10 or 15 points, but then the day before they could have won by 10 or 15 points. So you wondering "what's the story" and "what are they missing", and it was fight. But John Meyler is a tough guy and I think Cork are starting to mirror him. When you look at their centre-back yesterday Tim O'Mahony, he's a real find and your old traditional centre-back, just clearing balls all day and winning the high balls. As a neutral watching yesterday he was a joy to watch. But they're too good to be getting beat by 9 or 10 points at times in the game, they can't be letting that happen."
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