Very little between Limerick and Cork as they draw swords
HISTORY dictates that there should be at least one goal in Croke Park this afternoon. Of the 15 previous Championship meetings between Clare and Galway there has never failed to be a green flag raised. And if Clare are to overcome their 3/1 underdog price tag they will likely have to score more than one — something they have achieved only once so far in this campaign (a hattrick of goals against Cork failing to prevent a twopoint defeat in the Munster final). In defending champions and odds-on title favourites Galway they will be coming up against the meanest defence in the land, a team whose backs have only conceded an average of 20.3 points per game. Goals have been scarce for both teams this term though — Clare have managed just six in six games, including blanks in victories over Wexford and Limerick. Galway, meanwhile, have managed just three in five games — excluding the five green flags they racked up in their hammering of Offaly in the opening round — failing to raise green flags at home to Dublin and in their drawn Leinster final with Kilkenny. Clare and Galway have almost identical scoring averages of just under 27 points per game, but it is Galway’s water-tight defence that has them justified 4/11 favourites to get the job done today. The other semi-final, however, is just too close to call. If ever statistics pointed to a draw (9/1 best price) — the rarest of things in hurling until very recently — it’s tomorrow’s clash of Limerick and Cork. The teams have already met once this year, playing out a 1-25 to 0-28 draw in the Munster Championship round-robin. Cork went on to book their place in the All-Ireland semi-finals as provincial winners, Limerick going through the back door with wins over Carlow and Kilkenny (a first in the Championship since 1973 when they last went on to win the AllIreland). From their five games played in the Championship this year, Cork have scored an average of 27.8 points per game (the only category not led by Galway) and conceded 25.8 — a differential of +2. While Limerick, taking their facile hammering of Carlow out of the equation, have scored 25.6 per game and conceded 23.6. A differential of +2. There is literally nothing between them. Paddy Power have Cork as the narrowest of evens favourites, by virtue of the fact that they are as yet unbeaten, but with the caveat of having collapsed as Munster champions in the last four this time last year. Boyelsports, meanwhile, have Limerick as evens favourites, as after having failed to reach a final since 2007 something just feels a little different this time around with the massive Kilkenny monkey off their backs now. Waterford unseated that same stripy primate 12 months ago, but all they got for their troubles was three cheers from Galway from the Hogan Stand. The final is still along way away — and 9/1 looks a decent price to suggest that there might be three more games to go instead of two.