GAA Betting: Limerick The Team To Beat In National Hurling League
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While there were a number of teams left idle in the weekend just gone, the best betting sites for GAA are examining once more who the main challengers are for this year’s National Hurling League.
Due to take place at Nowlan Park on Sunday, the Division 1A clash between Kilkenny and Limerick was ultimately postponed until a later date due to an unplayable pitch at the Marble County venue.
Torrential downpours put paid to a number of fixtures in football and hurling and with Galway becoming the latest county to receive a bye, just four teams in the seven-strong NHL top-tier saw competitive action last weekend.
Tipperary And Wexford Triumph In Latest NHL Games
Playing at Semple Stadium in Thurles on Saturday night, Tipperary recorded a 2-22 to 1-21 win at the expense of Cork.
Complimenting a 10-point haul from Darragh McCarthy, Jake Morris and Dylan Walsh found the net to propel the Premier County towards their third victory in this year’s league.
At Cusack Park in Ennis on Sunday, both Clare and Wexford were looking to pick up their first points of the 2025 NHL.
The Banner had appeared to be on the right track when Tony Kelly bagged a goal in the opening moments of the game, but the combined forces of Cian Byrne, Seamus Casey and Lee Chin shone brightly as Wexford came away with a 1-23 to 1-17 triumph.
As a result of last weekend’s postponement in Kilkenny and there being an uneven number of teams, there are counties in Division 1A who have played anywhere between two and four games thus far in the NHL.
This might make it difficult to gauge who the most likely winners of this year’s league is, but bookmakers have nonetheless given their considered takes on who they expect to come away with the small ball’s first national title of 2025.
Limerick Favourites For League Glory
Despite only having two outings to date, Limerick are currently 5/6 favourites with BoyleSports to be crowned NHL champions in the coming weeks.
Since John Kiely assumed the managerial reins in the winter of 2016, the Treaty County have won three league crowns to supplement five All-Ireland senior titles and six Munster senior hurling championship successes.
After enjoying a bye on the opening weekend of this year’s NHL, Limerick played out an entertaining draw with Cork – who defeated them twice in the 2024 championship.
There were plenty of positives in that display and with the imperious Diarmaid Byrnes helping himself to seven points, the Munster kingpins gained their first victory of the season with a 0-30 to 1-23 triumph at the expense of Tipperary on February 9.
This Sunday marks three weeks since that game and Limerick’s sharpness will be put to the test by Clare in the Gaelic Grounds this weekend.
Yet they are still seen as the team to beat at the moment and although they relinquished the Liam MacCarthy Cup at the semi-final stage last year, this might well be the case come the summertime.
Tipperary Very Much In The Running For NHL Title
They may have come out on the wrong side of the result against Limerick, but it has been a very productive league campaign in general for Tipperary. Thanks to wins over Galway, Wexford and Cork, Liam Cahill’s men are now at the summit of the Division 1A table with six points.
With 2-32 to his name, the aforementioned McCarthy is the scorer-in-chief in this year’s NHL top-tier.
While it remains to be seen if the Premier can carry their early season form into the championship, they are certainly playing with greater confidence and freedom at the moment.
Without a hurling league title since 2008, the odds on them correcting this statistic in 2025 are 7/2 with 10bet.
Cork And Kilkenny Also In The Shake-Up
You have to go back an additional 10 years to Cork’s last NHL success – a 2-14 to 0-13 final win over provincial rivals Waterford at Semple Stadium.
Current Rebel manager Pat Ryan was selected at midfield on that day and helped himself to a final tally of two points.
He will be hoping to guide his native county to success from the sidelines this year and with an emphatic win against Wexford preceding those Cork and Tipperary games, they are very much in the mix ahead of their clash with Kilkenny on Saturday.
At 11/2, Cork are the third favourites for an NHL crown in 2025.
At 9/1 are their opponents on the Leeside this weekend. While Galway got the better of them in round two, victories against Clare and Wexford either side of it has Kilkenny in the hunt for a league final spot.
Eoin Cody and Martin Keoghan have been leading the scoring stakes for the Cats this season with the former’s haul of 1-16 slightly outweighing the 2-12 that has been accumulated by the latter.
After losing out in the last two NHL deciders, Kilkenny boss Derek Lyng might want his troops to go a step further this year.
Galway An Outside Bet For League Success
Due to their win over them in the second round of the competition, Galway are currently ahead of the Cats in second spot in the Division 1A table.
Having suffered a chastening loss at the hands of Tipperary on the opening weekend, the Tribesmen followed up the Kilkenny game by getting the better of Clare at Pearse Stadium earlier this month.
This has put them in a much more comfortable position, but there is still a sense that Micheal Donoghue is figuring out what his best 15 will be for this year’s Leinster championship.
Though he did win the league back in 2017 during his first spell in charge of the side, his current Galway side is 9/1 with betting apps for an NHL triumph.
Due to being on zero points in the NHL top-tier standings with just three games left to play, there are currently no odds available on Clare to defend their league crown in 2025.
There is a value on Wexford to win the competition after their success over Clare – and before their home meeting with Galway this Saturday – they are a 100/1 shot with GAA betting sites.