Hurling Power Rankings #2 — Clare get off the mark, but Galway set the benchmark

A comprehensive win over Dublin solidified Galway’s ranking as the #1 team in the country, while Clare’s Championship debut layed a decent opening marker.

Hurling Power Rankings #1 | Football Power Rankings #1

11 Laois

10 Dublin

Are Dublin that bad, to be the second lowest ranked county capable of winning the All-Ireland? Probably not, but the Leinster defeat to Galway — where Dublin’s frailties were highlighted for the nation to see — sank them to the bottom. It’s going to be hard to see them recover from here with a qualifying round against the likes Limerick, especially with their squad decimated from recent years. (Down from #9)

9 Offaly

An exciting win against Westmeath sends Offaly into the Leinster semi-final against Galway. An unlikely win against the Tribesmen would put Offaly in the Leinster Final for the first time since 2004, and the glorious hurling summers would be back to the Faithful county. It’s a huge task, facing the league winners in Portlaoise, but victory would be one of the biggest stories of the summer. (Up from #10)

8 Limerick

A mistake-filled loss to Clare sentenced Limerick to an expected defeat in Thurles this weekend, but there are some small sprouts of growth to be hopeful about as they go into the qualifiers. Sean Finn was good at corner back, while Kyle Hayes was excellent in the second half after early debut jitters. They’ll also welcome back the likes of Diarmaid Byrnes and Gearóid Hegarty into the fold. Limerick’s summer isn’t over just yet. (No change at #8)

7 Waterford

This far down the ranks purely on the fact they haven’t tasted Championship action yet, Waterford’s misery this deep into our ranking won’t last long with Cork awaiting in the Munster semi-final. They’ll be lifted by Clare’s failure to really kill off Limerick and will be gunning for Munster glory, as well as a deep run into the All-Ireland. They’re hiding in the long grass for now. (Down from #6)

6 Clare

A Munster semi-final win against Limerick, a berth in the final and still only 6th — one leap from our first round of rankings?! We can sense the outrage from Sixmilebridge from here. Clare were good against Limerick, but not that great either and will have to improve a considerable amount to have any chance against Waterford or Cork in the final. Shane O’Donnell was in All-Ireland final form, Tony Kelly was all but anonymous in Thurles and the backs shipped two goals that came from distance. We will happily eat humble pie should Clare turn around and win the Munster final, until then they sit in the middle of the road. (Up from #7)

5 Wexford

The Yellowbellies survived their first hurdle of the Championship with a solid win over Laois, without Davy Fitzgerald on the sideline. That sets up a mouth-watering semi-final against Kilkenny on June 10th, which will really answer all the questions we have about this year’s Leinster title chase. We’ll soon find out if Wexford are the dark horse to be reckoned with or if their season has peaked early. (No change at #5)

4 Tipperary

You could argue Tipperary should be further down this list, given the commotion in the camp lately and the fact they have to go around the houses to defend their All-Ireland Championship. But this ranking tries to get a bearing on teams capabilities of winning the All-Ireland, not their relevant provinces, and in that case you just can’t overlook Tipperary going into September. It appears all the controversy is just WhatsApp talk, Tipperary will be fully focused on getting their act together in the qualifiers once and for all. (No change at #4)

3 Kilkenny

Third on reputation alone, Kilkenny await Wexford in the semi-final this weekend and we’ll finally know if they warrant such optimism in this ranking. Wexford have a serious body of work behind them this season and it’ll a question if the fresh legs of Kilkenny can overcome the battle-hardened, Davy Fitz-led Wexford. (No change at #3)

2 Cork

Cork are patiently awaiting Waterford in the semi-final in what’s going to be an absolutely thrilling fixture, and will tell us if Cork’s astounding victory over Tipperary was just a once-off or if they are really deserving of such a lofty ranking. Cork have laid down the marker with the best performance of the Championship thus far — getting into the Munster Final would be huge for the Rebels. (No change at #2)

1 Galway

Galway made light work of Dublin, hammering them by 14 points and cruising into the Leinster semi-final where they await Offaly. Galway are the team to beat and should they overcome Offaly next weekend, they’re going to set up a summer picnic here at #1 in our power rankings. (No change at #1)