The All-Ireland Hurling 2024 Championship Odds: Limerick On Top Ahead Of Munster Final

Daire Walsh

The best betting sites are once again exploring the likely candidates for All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship glory ahead of two crucial quarter-finals this Saturday.

Just seven days on from contesting the second-tier Joe McDonagh Cup decider at Croke Park, as a precursor to the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship showpiece between Kilkenny and Dublin, Offaly and Laois entered the All-Ireland SHC at a preliminary quarter-final phase.

With the exception of Laois’ victory over Dublin back in 2019, the Joe McDonagh finalists have generally come out second best upon entering the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

While both of last weekend’s games were closer than some recent last-eight affairs (Tipperary had 32 points to spare over Offaly 12 months ago), these games nonetheless went along expected lines.

Wexford recorded a 0-32 to 0-20 win at the expense of Laois on the same day Cork held off a spirited display by Offaly to record a nine-point triumph (4-25 to 3-19).

After keeping their All-Ireland hopes alive by achieving third place finishes in the Leinster and Munster championships respectively, Wexford and Cork will be glad to have All-Ireland quarter-finals to look forward to this Saturday.

Cork will take on Dublin followed by the clash between Wexford and Clare in an intriguing double bill.

Thanks to their impressive provincial final victories, Limerick and Kilkenny are already safely through to the last four of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship on the weekend of July 6/7.

Limerick Remain Favourites To Retain All-Ireland Crown

All-Ireland champions in each of the past four seasons, Limerick claimed their sixth successive Munster title with an excellent 1-26 to 1-20 victory over Clare.

They had entered into the provincial series as firm favourites to tighten their grip on the Mick Mackey Cup, and John Kiely’s charges find themselves in a similar position ahead of their first game in the All-Ireland series – regardless of who they might be facing.

Despite having to deal with a number of injuries to key players – Seamus Flanagan being the most recent man to end up on the treatment table – Limerick continue to amaze their loyal band of supporters.

Gearoid Hegarty in particular grabbed the Munster final by the scruff of the neck as he amassed an excellent tally of 1-2, while Shane O’Brien did his chances of future selection no harm by chipping in with a couple of points.

The likes of Diarmaid Byrnes, Aaron Gillane, Tom Morrissey, Kyle Hayes and team captain Declan Hannon also remain key figures.

Although Cork did get the better of them during the Munster round robin series, it is easy to see why betting apps are so convinced they will be completing an historic five in a row of All-Ireland titles next month.

Limerick are 4/6 favourites for yet another Liam MacCarthy success.

Cork And Kilkenny Viewed As Limerick’s Main Challengers

Given their status as provincial winners – plus the fact that they are the only unbeaten side remaining in the championship – you might expect that Kilkenny would be out in front as the main challengers to Limerick in 2024.

Yet as we move further into the business end of the All-Ireland championship, Cork are being offered as much of a shot at All-Ireland glory as The Cats are.

Despite a ropey start to the Munster series, Cork gave themselves a significant shot in the arm by recording a magnificent win over Limerick and enjoying a comprehensive triumph against Tipperary.

By the admission of their manager Pat Ryan, the Leesiders were far from perfect in their preliminary quarter-final duel with Offaly, but having three successive victories under their belts is crucial for Cork moving into a forthcoming meeting with Dublin.

Although his 1-10 haul in the Offaly game showed that the evergreen Patrick Horgan remains one of the most potent attackers in the small ball code, the scoring contributions of Shane Barrett (1-4), Brian Hayes (1-1) and Declan Dalton (0-4) show that Cork at 5/1 on GAA betting sites aren’t solely reliant on the Glen Rovers ace.

It is this that currently gives them a slight advantage over Kilkenny, who are generally available at the same price. This is something that won’t overly concern Derek Lyng’s side and it might even serve as fuel as they aim to bridge a nine-year gap to their last All-Ireland title.

Even though they registered consecutive draws with Galway and Carlow in the Leinster championship, the firepower of TJ Reid, Adrian Mullen, John Donnelly and Eoin Cody has helped them to embark on a three-game winning streak since then.

Clare Still An Interesting Outside Bet

Having overcome Kilkenny in the National Hurling League Division One final earlier this year, a big championship campaign was expected from Clare.

However, despite being just 70 minutes away from a third All-Ireland semi-final appearance, the Banner are just fourth favourites at 7/1 to get their hands on the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

They did manage to reach the Munster final once again this year, but having pushed Limerick to the very limit in the previous two provincial deciders, Clare were slightly further off on this occasion.

Brian Lohan’s men had also lost to the Treaty during the round robin group stages and though Aidan McCarthy and David Fitzgerald are currently in fine form, there is a sense that they are not quite reaching the heights they are capable of in 2024.

Despite getting themselves into the final six of the Liam MacCarthy Cup, Wexford (33/1) and Dublin (100/1) remain rank outsiders for the top prize. This, by extension, also makes them underdogs going into their clashes with Clare and Cork on Saturday.