2018 Munster Senior Hurling Championship

The 2018 Munster Senior Hurling Championship is the 2018 installment of the annual Munster Senior Hurling Championship organised by Munster GAA.[1]

Munster Senior Hurling Championship
Tournament details
Year2018
Date20 May–1 July
Teams5
Defending championsCork
Winners
ChampionsCork (? win)
ManagerJohn Meyler
CaptainSéamus Harnedy
Qualify forMunster SHC Final
All-Ireland SHC
Runners-up
Runners-upClare
ManagerDonal Moloney
Gerry O'Connor
CaptainPatrick O'Connor
Other
Matches played11

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 N/A 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 42205-94 (109)4-89 (101)+86
2 Clare 43014-97 (109)5-77 (92)+176
3 Limerick 42113-92 (101)4-81 (93)+85
4 Tipperary 40227-77 (98)5-91 (106)–82
5 Waterford 40136-76 (94)7-98 (119)–251
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

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Final

The winning team advanced to the All-Ireland semi-finals, while the losing team advanced to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

Main article: 2018 Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final
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
Semple Stadium, Thurles
Referee: J McGrath (Westmeath)
Attendance: 45,364
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See also

References
  1. "2018 Munster Hurling & Football Championship Draws". 19 October 2017.
  2. "GAA votes to change senior hurling championship". Irish Examiner. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  3. "Historic day at Croke Park as Congress votes in hurling structure changes". RTE Sport. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
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