2018 Munster Senior Hurling Championship
The 2018 Munster Senior Hurling Championship was the 2018 installment of the annual Munster Senior Hurling Championship organised by Munster GAA.[1]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Year | 2018 |
| Date | 20 May–1 July |
| Teams | 5 |
| Defending champions | Cork |
| Winners | |
| Champions | Cork (54th win) |
| Manager | John Meyler |
| Captain | Séamus Harnedy |
| Qualify for | Munster SHC Final All-Ireland SHC |
| Runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Clare |
| Manager | Donal Moloney Gerry O'Connor |
| Captain | Patrick O'Connor |
| Other | |
| Matches played | 11 |
This was the first year of a new format.
Cork won a second consecutive title by defeating Clare in the final.
Format
A new provincial hurling championship featuring five-team round-robin groups in both Leinster and Munster and the new Joe McDonagh Cup was introduced in 2018 for an initial three-year period. The proposal was carried by a narrow margin with 62% voting in favour (a majority of at least 60% was required) at the GAA's Special Congress on 30 September 2017. The top two teams in each provincial group would contest the provincial final, with the provincial winners advancing to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the losing provincial finalists advancing to the two quarter-finals.[2]
An amendment to the motion from Laois, Offaly and Meath was carried by 87%. The third-placed teams in Leinster and Munster would compete in All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals against the two Joe McDonagh Cup finalists, with the Joe McDonagh Cup teams having home advantage.
If a non-Munster team were to win the Joe McDonagh Cup, the bottom team in the Leinster championship would be relegated to the following year's Joe McDonagh Cup and would be replaced in the following year's Leinster championship by the Joe McDonagh Cup winners. If a Munster team were to win the Joe McDonagh Cup, they would play off against the team who finished bottom in the Munster championship for the right to play in the following year's Munster championship, thereby ensuring that only Munster teams compete in the Munster championship.[3]
The restructure of hurling involved the reduction of the Leinster championship from nine teams to five while the Munster championship continued with the previous five Munster teams (Kerry previously competed in the qualifier group of the Leinster championship). A six-team Joe McDonagh Cup was created, consisting of all four teams from the 2017 Leinster qualifier group plus Antrim and Carlow, the 2017 Christy Ring Cup finalists.
Teams
The Munster championship was contested by five of the six counties from the Irish province of Munster. The exception was Kerry, traditionally the province's weakest at hurling (but strongest in football).
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
 Clare |
Ennis | Cusack Park | 19,000 |
 Cork |
Cork | Páirc Uí Chaoimh | 45,000 |
 Limerick |
Limerick | Gaelic Grounds | 49,886 |
 Tipperary |
Thurles | Semple Stadium | 53,000 |
 Waterford |
— | — | n/a |
Personnel and colours
| Team | Colours | Main sponsor |
Captain(s) | Manager(s) | Most recent success | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Ireland | Provincial | League | |||||
| Clare | |
Pat O'Donnell | Patrick O'Connor | Donal Moloney Gerry O'Connor |
2013 | 1998 | 2016 |
| Cork | |
Chill Insurance | Séamus Harnedy | John Meyler | 2005 | 2017 | 1998 |
| Limerick | |
Sporting Limerick | Declan Hannon | John Kiely | 2018 | 2013 | 1997 |
| Tipperary | |
Intersport/Elverys | Pádraic Maher | Michael Ryan | 2016 | 2016 | 2008 |
| Waterford | |
TQS Integration | Derek McGrath | 1959 | 2010 | 2015 | |
Group table
Pos Team Pld W D L SF SA Diff Pts 1 Cork 4 2 2 0 5-94 (109) 4-89 (101) +8 6 2 Clare 4 3 0 1 4-97 (109) 5-77 (92) +17 6 3 Limerick 4 2 1 1 3-92 (101) 4-81 (93) +8 5 4 Tipperary 4 0 2 2 7-77 (98) 5-91 (106) –8 2 5 Waterford 4 0 1 3 6-76 (94) 7-98 (119) –25 1 Green background The top two teams contested the Munster Final, with the winners advancing to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the losers advancing to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Yellow background The third-placed team advanced to the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals.
As the 2018 Joe McDonagh Cup was won by Carlow (a Leinster county), there was no relegation/promotion play-off between the bottom team in the Munster group and the Joe McDonagh Cup winners for the right to compete in next year's Munster championship.
Cork are ranked ahead of Clare as they won the head-to-head game between the teams.
Group matches
Round 1
| 20 May 2018 Round 1 | Limerick |
1-23 (26) – (20) 2-14 | Tipperary |
Limerick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14:00 | (HT: 0-12 – 1-10) | Venue: Gaelic Grounds | |||
| Gls: B Murphy 1 Pts: A Gillane 8 (6f), G Mulcahy 4, D Byrnes 3 (2 '65', 1f), C Lynch 2, G Hegarty 2, T Morrissey 2, D O'Donovan 1, S Flanagan 1 |
Report | Gls: D McCormack 1, J Forde 1 Pts: J Forde 9 (9f), N McGrath 2, J McGrath 2, J O'Dwyer 1 |
Referee: James McGrath (Westmeath) Attendance: 20,403 TV: RTÉ
|
| 20 May 2018 Round 1 | Cork |
2-23 (29) – (24) 1-21 | Clare |
Cork | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16:00 | (HT: 0-11 – 0-10) | Venue: Páirc Uí Chaoimh | |||
| Gls: C Lehane 1, S Harnedy 1 Pts: P Horgan 10 (6f), D Fitzgibbon 3, C Lehane 2, S Harnedy 2, M Ellis 2, M Coleman 1, B Cooper 1, R O'Flynn 1, D Brosnan 1 |
Report | Gls: T Kelly 1 Pts: J Conlon 5, P Duggan 4 (4f), C Galvin 3, D Reidy 3 (2f), T Kelly 3 (1f), S O'Donnell 2, C McGrath 1 |
Referee: Sean Cleere (Kilkenny) Attendance: 24,490 TV: RTÉ
|
Round 2
| 27 May 2018 Round 2 | Tipperary |
2-20 (26) – (26) 1-23 | Cork |
Thurles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14:00 | Venue: Semple Stadium | ||||
| Gls: J Forde 1, N McGrath 1 Pts: J Forde 6 (4f, 2 '65'), J McGrath 5, N McGrath 3, B Maher 1, S Callanan 1, Patrick Maher 1, B McCarthy 1, J O'Dwyer 1, J Morris 1 |
Report | Gls: S Kingston 1 Pts: S Kingston 5, P Horgan 5 (3f), S Harnedy 5, D Kearney 4, B Cooper 2, C Lehane 2 |
Referee: James Keenan (Wicklow) Attendance: 22,456 TV: RTÉ
|
| 27 May 2018 Round 2 | Clare |
2-27 (33) – (24) 2-18 | Waterford |
Ennis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15:30 | Venue: Cusack Park | ||||
| Gls: P Duggan 1 (pen), J Conlon 1 Pts: P Duggan 10 (9f, 1 '65'), T Kelly 6, J Conlon 3, J Shanahan 2, C Galvin 2, D Fitzgerald 1, C McGrath 1, S O'Donnell 1, D Reidy 1 |
Report | Gls: M Shanahan 1, T Ryan 1 Pts: M Shanahan 6 (6f), Stephen Bennett 2, Jake Dillon 2, T de Burca 1, C Gleeson 1, Philip Mahony 1, T Devine 1, K Moran 1, J Barron 1, DJ Foran 1, T Ryan 1 |
Referee: Paud O'Dwyer (Carlow) Attendance: 13,736
|
Round 3
| 2 June 2018 Round 3 | Cork |
1-25 (28) – (28) 0-28 | Limerick |
Cork | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:00 | (HT: 0-14 – 0-12) | Venue: Páirc Uí Chaoimh | |||
| Gls: P Horgan 1 Pts: P Horgan 11 (8f, 3 '65'), D Fitzgibbon 4, C Lehane 3, D Kearney 2, S Kingston 2, L Meade 1, M Coleman 1, C Spillane 1 |
Report | Pts: T Morrissey 8 (5f), S Flanagan 6, C Lynch 3, D O'Donovan 2, G Mulcahy 2, D Byrnes 2 (2f), K Hayes 2, G Hegarty 1, D Morrissey 1, A Gillane 1 |
Referee: James Owens (Wexford) Attendance: 34,607 TV: Sky Sports
|
| 3 June 2018 Round 3 | Waterford |
2-22 (28) – (28) 2-22 | Tipperary |
Limerick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16:00 | (HT: 2-12 – 0-12) | Venue: Gaelic Grounds | |||
| Gls: Pauric Mahony 1, T Devine 1 Pts: Pauric Mahony 8 (5f), J Barron 3, DJ Foran 3, T Devine 2, Philip Mahony 1, S Bennett 1, P Curran 1, T Ryan 1, J Dillon 1 |
Report | Gls: J Forde 1 Pts: J Forde 14 (11f), R Maher 3, S Callanan 2, J McGrath 2, B McCarthy 1, N McGrath 1, J O'Dwyer 1 P Maher 1, C Barrett 1 |
Referee: Alan Kelly (Galway) Attendance: 10,237 TV: RTÉ
|
Round 4
| 10 June 2018 Round 4 | Limerick |
2-26 (32) – (19) 1-16 | Waterford |
Limerick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (HT: 2-14 – 0-7) | Venue: Gaelic Grounds | ||||
| Gls: G Hegarty 1, G Mulcahy 1 Pts: S Dowling 15 (13f), C Lynch 3, T Morrissey 2, K Hayes 2, G Hegarty 1, S Flanagan 1, D O'Donovan 1, D Dempsey 1 |
Report | Gls: T Ryan 1 Pts: Pauric Mahony 10 (9f), DJ Foran 1, S Bennett 1, T Devine 1, M Shanahan 1, M Kearney 1, S O'Keeffe 1 |
Referee: Seán Cleere (Kilkenny) Attendance: 23,194
|
| 10 June 2018 Round 4 | Tipperary |
1-21 (24) – (26) 1-23 | Clare |
Thurles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (HT: 1-10 – 0-9) | Venue: Semple Stadium | ||||
| Gls: B McCarthy 1 Pts: J Forde 10 (8f, 1 '65'), J McGrath 3, S Callanan 2, N McGrath 2, R Maher 1, C Barrett 1, Pádraic Maher 1, Patrick Maher 1 |
Report | Gls: I Galvin 1 Pts: P Duggan 15 (13f), P Collins 3, T Kelly 2, J Conlon 2, J Browne 1 |
Referee: Paud O'Dwyer (Carlow) Attendance: 20,782 TV: RTÉ
|
Round 5
| 17 June 2018 Round 5 | Clare |
0-26 (26) – (15) 0-15 | Limerick |
Ennis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (HT: 0-13 – 0-9) | Venue: Cusack Park | ||||
Pts: P Duggan 13 (10f, 1 '65'), T Kelly 5 (1 '65'), J Conlon 4, D Fitzgerald 2, J Shanahan 1, C Galvin 1 |
Report | Pts: S Dowling 4 (4f), T Morrissey 3, K Hayes 1, D O'Donovan 1 (sl), C Lynch 1, D Byrnes 1, G Hegarty 1, D Morrissey 1, S Flanagan 1, A Gillane 1 |
Referee: James Owens (Westmeath) Attendance: 18,803 TV: RTÉ
|
| 17 June 2018 Round 5 | Waterford |
1-20 (23) – (26) 1-23 | Cork |
Thurles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue: Semple Stadium | |||||
| Gls: T Ryan 1 Pts: Pauric Mahony 8 (4f, 1 '65'), T Ryan 3, B O'Halloran 2, J Dillon 2, T Devine 1, J Barron 1, A Gleeson 1, DJ Foran 1, M Shanahan 1 |
Report | Gls: S Harnedy 1 Pts: P Horgan 5 (2f, 1 '65'), S Harnedy 3, B Cooper 4, C Lehane 3, M Coleman 2 (1 sl), S Kingston 2, D Kearney 2, D Fitzgibbon 1, C Joyce 1 |
Referee: John Keenan (Wicklow) Attendance: 14,737
|
Final
The winning team advanced to the All-Ireland semi-finals, while the losing team advanced to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
1 July 2018 14:00 Munster Final |
| Cork |
2-24 (30) – (28) 3-19 | Clare |
|---|---|---|
| (HT: 1-10 – 2-11) | ||
| Gls: S Harnedy 1, L Meade 1 Pts: P Horgan 11 (6f, 1 '65'), S Harnedy 4, M Coleman 2 (1 sl), D Fitzgibbon 2, D Kearney 2, C Lehane 1, L Meade 1, B Cooper 1 |
Gls: P Duggan 1, D Reidy 1, I Galvin 1 Pts: P Duggan 7 (6f), J Conlon 5, D Reidy 2, P Collins 2, C McGrath 1, T Kelly 1, C Galvin 1 | |
See also
References
- "2018 Munster Hurling & Football Championship Draws". 19 October 2017.
- "GAA votes to change senior hurling championship". Irish Examiner. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- "Historic day at Croke Park as Congress votes in hurling structure changes". RTE Sport. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.