7 Things we Learned from the Hurling League Finals 2026

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

This week in brief:

1. League Final debrief.

2. The magic of Aaron Gillane.

3. Predictions for the entire year.

Limerick Hunger

It is hard to not tip your hat to the Limerick panel on the hunger that they showed throughout the league final. For a team who have won multiple titles, it was great to see the enjoyment and celebrations after securing another trophy. It shows that the hunger is still there, and they look to be more determined than ever to reclaim the Munster and All Ireland titles again. This is a worrying sign for the rest of the teams competing, as they look in pole position to steam roll any opposition that stands in their way. They may get caught in the whirlwind that is the Munster Championship as their supporting cast aren’t as strong as previous years. Their starting 15 is no doubt the strongest but with an intense calendar, squad rotation is essential and I am not sure they have the players in reserve to maintain the required standard.

Intensity Difference

The difference in intensity between the two games yesterday was extreme. It was so stark that James Skehill called in Senior to Junior. The pace of the play, the physicality and pure energy shown by Cork and Limerick players was incredible. It was still a notch or two below what we will see in the coming weeks but for the most part, it was there. On the other hand, it was the complete opposite in the Clare and Dublin encounter. The two teams lacked any great physicality, the energy was subdued and the speed of hurling wasn’t at a level you would expect so close to Championship. I mentioned a couple of weeks back about the benefit of playing a lower league and building performances and confidence has some merit, but on yesterday’s viewing both teams are miles off it. Dublin’s saving grace is that only Kilkenny and Galway played a higher league but Clare will need a massive improvement to match what the Munster teams from Division 1A will bring to the table.

Gillane is Pure Magic

As out and out inside forwards go, Aaron Gillane is potentially the greatest ever. There are very few forwards who are solely positioned close to goal for the duration of their career. Gillane’s performance yesterday has proven once again just how good he is. During the league, the form of Shane O’Brien and Aidan O’Connor taking over the free-taking duty, Gillane hasn’t been as prominent. However, his performance on Sunday was one if his best ever, between points and goals from play and also the composure to take over the free-taking duties once Aidan O’Connor departed. His ability to compete for possession both high and low makes marking him extremely difficult. You can’t stay in front, as he is lethal with a high ball from that position and standing off for a high ball allows him to move into space and gather possession in front. This makes him lethal and near impossible to mark but also having that out ball allows the rest of the Limerick be really compact and work back, as they know, the ball won’t come out easy.

Intensity Difference

The difference in intensity between the two games yesterday was extreme. It was so stark that James Skehill called in Senior to Junior. The pace of the play, the physicality and pure energy showed from Cork and Limerick players was incredible. It was still a notch or two below what we will see in the coming weeks but for the most part, it was there. On the other hand, it was the complete opposite in the Clare and Dublin encounter. The two teams lacked any great physicality, the energy was subdued and the speed of hurling wasn’t at a level you would expect so close to Championship. I mentioned a couple of weeks back about the benefit of playing a lower league and building performances and confidence has some merit, but on yesterday’s viewing both teams are miles off it. Dublin’s saving grace is that only Kilkenny and Galway played a higher league but Clare will need a massive improvement to match what the Munster teams from Division 1A will bring to the table.

Clare forwards vs Clare Defence

As Clare look to regain their 2024 form, there still some question marks over parts of their game but also some real positives. They scored 11-190 across the league with plenty of forwards getting valuable minutes ahead of the championship. Sean Meehan looks to have kicked on, and the ever-present Shane O’Donnell and Peter Duggan reeled back the years in the league final. The emergence of Jack O’Neill and Diarmuid Stritch has given them more options up front and hopefully Mark Rodgers injury isn’t too bad. However, I would be concerned about their defence. They conceded 9-128, played no Munster team and only 3 teams in the Liam McCarthy Championship. That sort of defence, or lack of, will cause them serious problems against the teams in Munster, particularly the full forward lines of those teams. The defence that worked for them for years isn’t as effective as the individual players are struggling to keep up with opposition players. Brian Lohan and his coaches have a lot of work to rectify this ahead of their opening round against Waterford in Ennis.

Dublin need to Find their Spark

For all their good play and good performances, there still seems to be something missing when Dublin take to the field from a consistency point of view. It is one thing being inconsistent from one game to the next, but they have periods in games where that inconsistency is evident. In some performances they look they have reached a new level through intensity and work-rate, as way the case against Clare, but in patches yesterday they played with no energy and looked very ordinary. They have a fantastic mix of style of play between running the ball through Fergal Whitely, Brian Hayes, Conor Donoghue and going long to John Hetherton, but their decision making around which to employ leaves a lot to be desired. They caused Clare lots of problems going long in the first half but didn’t use it enough when they had the aid of the breeze. If they can tidy up these aspects of the game, they will have a great summer but at the moment, these inconsistent performances will see them fall short of any success.

The Other Half of the Leinster Championship

Last week we looked at the teams in contention for Leinster success, this week we look at the other side of the table. I am worried for Offaly as they seem to be struggling to bridge the gap with underage success and adult solidity. A strong league last year saw them promoted to the top grade in the league but a big step up in standard and a long injury list has severely affected their preparation for the Championship. With the rising form of Kildare, they are at a big risk of relegation. Wexford are now suffering the consequences of not integrating young players the last number of years and now we see them falling behind their counterparts in Leinster. The reliance on the older brigade is evident, and they will need some massive performances and results to not be part of the relegation mix up. That being said, their big players will always step up with Lee Chin and Damien Reck ending the league in good form with a big win over Kildare. Following fantastic progress in the last few years, Kildare enter the Championship in upbeat spirits. Their players will be relishing the challenge against established teams, and they surely will fancy their chances at avoiding relegation. In a number of games in the league, they faded in the last 15 minutes and struggled to add to the scoreboard. Perhaps it is a fitness issue, but it will need to be rectified to deal with the cauldron of Championship hurling.

Predictions

Championship is officially here and here are my predictions for the year ahead. I am fully aware that there is a lot of hurling to be played before 19th July and 9th August for the camogie decider. The league finals for camogie are yet to be played but I do expect Galway and Cork to rise to the top as the season progresses. In the interim, I think Waterford and Kilkenny will claim provincial success. The change of structure for the All Ireland series will be tough to navigate as teams try to time their run correctly. On the hurling side, I think we are in for some cracking games across all Championships and I would not be surprised if all these predictions are incorrect! I think Kilkenny will grow into the Championship, but the confidence and dynamism Galway are playing with should see them over the line. As we go down the grades, league success is extremely impactful as these Championships come around so quick with Laois, Kerry, Sligo and Leitrim expected to come out on top.

Hurling

Munster – Limerick winners, Tipperary runners-up and Cork 3rd place.

Leinster – Galway winners, Kilkenny runners-up and Dublin 3rd place.

Liam McCarthy Cup – Limerick winners, Tipperary runners-up.

Joe McDonagh – Laois winners, Carlow runners-up.

Christy Ring Cup – Kerry winners, Wicklow runners-up.

Nicky Rackard Cup – Sligo winners, Mayo runners-up.

Lory Meagher Cup – Leitrim winners, Longford runners-up.

Camogie

Munster – Waterford winners, Tipperary runners-up.

Leinster – Kilkenny winners, Dublin runners-up.

Senior Championship – Galway winners, Cork runners-up.

Intermediate Championship – Kerry winners, Down runners-up

Premier Junior Championship – Armagh winners, Tyrone runners-up.

Junior Championship – Mayo winners, Donegal runners-up.

See you next time!

Brendan

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