7 Things we Learned from the Hurling & Camogie Championship (9th & 10th May 2026)

A DSS Coaching piece by Brendan Delaney, focusing on lessons from the Hurling and Camogie Championships through the prism of coaching and performance.

This week in brief:

1. Cork through but falling across the line in games.
2. Croker trips planned for Kerry, Tyrone and Leitrim
3. Should we see a return of all the provincial championships?

Cork are through, but how good are they?

Cork qualified out of Munster with 3 wins from 3 and look to be heading for a Munster final as well but how good are this new look Cork team? They had a mixed league in terms of performances, they were hammered in the league final by Limerick and there’s an asterisk beside every Championship win. It was already highlighted how poor Tipperary were the first day out, playing with very little intensity and energy. Cork won by 4 points despite leading by 9 with just over 10 minutes to play. They edged out Limerick by 2 in a very nervy ending despite Limerick playing with 14-men for the final 20 minutes following Cian Lynch’s dismissal and Player of the Year favourite, Aaron Gillane missed out entirely through injury. They eventually saw off a spirited Waterford team who lost 3 players to injury before the half hour mark, including their talisman, Stephen Bennett and played with 14-men for 20 minutes following black cards for Mark Fitzgerald and Jack Fagan. Cork can only play what is in front of them and have no control over opposition intensity, injuries and lack of discipline, but there still seems to be something missing with Ben O’Connors team. They have shown resilience and a steeliness but their lack of free-flowing and exciting game that we have come accustomed to may come back to haunt them.

Kildare and Offaly big performances against the Top Dogs

In the last piece, I wrote about the lack of jeopardy in Leinster being an issue for the competitiveness in the competition, and I come out with egg on my face in the next round of fixtures! We had the most exciting weekend in the Leinster Hurling Championship with some fantastic games, upsets and individual displays. Galway again played against the elements in Kildare, but it was the Lilywhites who raced in front and lead by 12 point at one stage. Galway regained their control of the game and the introduction of Tom Monaghan at half time helped turn the tide with 1-4 from play. Muiris Curtin and Gerry Keegan were excellent for Kildare as they came up short in the end and despite a great performance, still see themselves without a point on the board and need some results to go their way to avoid relegation. Offaly were full value for their draw against Kilkenny on Sunday afternoon and could have gone one better in Tullamore having led for large parts of the game. That being said, they will be delighted with Eoghan Cahill’s leveller on 76 minutes to end a winless run against the Cats since 1998 in the Championship. It leaves them with a great chance to get out of Leinster with games against Wexford and Kildare to come. For Kilkenny, it is a case of 2 steps forward and 1 step back as they impressed last day out against Wexford before stumbling at the next hurdle. The lack of cohesion and specific plan is evident to see, and they have work to do to ensure they progress to the next stage.

Advantage Dublin

The fixture of Wexford and Dublin has dubbed as the third place play off for many years and Dublin edged this year’s edition in a rip-roaring game in Wexford Park. Goals proved vital again as Cian O’Sullivan and David Purcell raised the green flags for Dublin while Wexford will feel aggrieved to have not picked up at least one chance at a penalty with Shane Hynes waving away appeals for tackles on Lee Chin and Kevin Foley. Donal Burke and Lee Chin led the line for both teams scoring 0-14 each for their teams, again showing the importance of a top-class free taker but also contributing from play. This result piles the pressure on Wexford who after 3 games sit on 2 points and play Offaly and Galway in the closing fixtures. Dublin are guaranteed to progress to the All-Ireland series but will be eyeing results in their final 2 games to ensure a Leinster Final fixture. With the form of the teams, I do expect Dublin to get a result against Kilkenny in the final game.

Croker Bound for Kerry, Tyrone and Leitrim Hurlers

Kerry, Tyrone and Leitrim have booked their tickets to Croke Park for the 30^th May as with 4 wins from 4 they are all sitting pretty at the top of their respective groups. Kerry have impressed all year and a score 8-25 over the weekend has shown they have no signs of letting up. Their mix of experience and youth has worked well but also shows that manager John Griffin is looking ahead to the future.  The top 4 meet each other in the last round and we could see 3 teams finish level on points for second place if Kerry beat Derry and Donegal beat Meath. It will be an exciting ending to the Christy Ring Cup. Michael Little has led the scoring for Tyrone but is well supported by his teammates as they have racked up 13 goals in the 4 games. Mayo are in the driving seat to finish second and set up a semi-final with New York. Leitrim have timed their run very well this year as they look to get better with every game. They have the benefit of resting players and getting game time into fringe players following their unbeaten run in championship to date. Longford, Monaghan and Cavan can all finish on 6 points, and all still have a place in Croke Park to play for.

Provincial Camogie Finals

On Friday evening last we saw great scenes as Wexford won their first Leinster Camogie Final since 2016. They overcame Dublin by 3 points on a scoreline of 1-21 to 0-21 with Linda Bolger getting the all-important goal. Chloe Cashe was excellent in midfield both from play and frees as she finished with 0-13 while Caoimhe Byrne scored 0-4 from play. Aisling Maher was excellent for Dublin as she finished with 0-9. It was also fantastic to see a Championship fixture on a Friday evening and potentially something for the men to look at, particularly for the geographically closer, provincial ties. Looking ahead to this weekend, Tipperary take on Waterford in the Munster decider in Semple Stadium on Saturday. With the form of Beth Carton and Niamh Rockett, Waterford will be favourites going in but the return of Eimear McGrath and rise of Caoimhe Stakelum will make a really tight contest. This is a double header with Tipperary facing Clare in the Munster hurling championship. You would hope that this is properly advertised better than previous double headers and supported to give people a chance to watch this game.

A Return of all Provincial Championships

Year on year, the same conversations come up about structures when teams begin to get knocked out of the Championship and in particular, Waterford who haven’t progressed out of the round robin phase since its introduction. In my opinion, increasing it to 4 teams progressing from the provincial championships would negatively impact the excitement and jeopardy we see in these games. I personally don’t think that is the answer. I don’t see it happening, but I would like to see what happens in football with a knockout provincial championship and every team still has an attempt to win the All-Ireland series. I don’t think the provincial councils, Munster in particular, would want to lose their round robin series with the big crowds we see across all the games. I would also like to see this extended to all provinces and would like to see all counties included. The Connacht Championship would probably have to exist with Galway still entering Leinster, but London and New York would have the chance to compete. I think the Ulster championship would be fantastic; Antrim are no longer out on their own in terms of hurling up there. We have seen the scenes when Down beat them this year, imagine that game in an Ulster final, it would be magical! Leinster then could learn from the camogie and ladies football side where the provincials are tiered by having a senior and intermediate tier. A conversation would have to be had about where Kerry fall into Munster but their underage competitions all take place in Leinster so it wouldn’t be unusual for them to take part in that. Some teams might get knocked out after 1 game, but I think we would see some great games and some upsets with the knockout nature back to provincials with every team still getting a chance at their respective All-Ireland competition.

Joe McDonagh Excitement

The Joe McDonagh Cup is becoming really exciting with the top 5 teams all still with a chance of reaching the final. Despite some spirited performances, London have fallen short in the opening 3 games and look to be set for a return to the Christy Ring Cup. From the final win against Derry last year to the last game against Antrim, they have 11 new starters on the team, which shows the difficulty in commitment and retaining players in London as well as the travel and commitment in playing inter county. Carlow are in top spot in the table with 3 wins from 3 to date and with games against London and Antrim remaining, they should book their spot in Croke Park for the final. Despite Laois’ opening day loss to Carlow, they have recovered well and put some big scores up against Antrim and Westmeath. They have Down and a tricky trip to London to close out their group stage, but we all know how keen Tommy Fitzgerald and his team are on a return to the Leinster Championship. Antrim and Westmeath have an outside chance if results go their way and they get 2 wins in their last games, but they do play each other next. Down play Laois next which is a massive game and whoever wins that will be in a great position to reach the final. Ronan Sheehan’s Down have had some great performances and wins this year, and you can be sure they will be going to Port Laoise looking to cause an upset.

See you next time!

Brendan

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