GAA Betting: Limerick Still The Team To Beat In National Hurling League

By Daire Walsh

Another round of action has now passed and with several teams still in contention, the best betting sites for GAA are once again offering their considered takes on who is most likely to win this year’s National Hurling League.

With pace-setters Tipperary receiving a bye, last weekend’s fare presented a number of counties with an opportunity to turn up the heat on the Premier men.

Galway, Cork And Clare Come Out On Top In Latest NHL Round

After losing to Tipp in the opening round of Division 1A, Galway subsequently got up and running with back-to-back wins over Kilkenny and Clare.

They had to withstand a late rally from their opponents on the day, but goals from Conor Cooney and Anthony Burns ultimately helped the Tribesmen to earn a 2-19 to 1-20 victory away to Wexford on Saturday.

At Pairc Ui Chaoimh on the same day, Cork were eager to issue the perfect response to their recent reversal at the hands of Tipperary when facing Kilkenny on the Leeside.

Courtesy of excellent scoring hauls from Patrick Horgan (0-10) and Diarmuid Healy (1-5), the Rebels did just that as they finished the game with three points to spare (1-22 to 2-16) over the Cats.

Moving onto Sunday and Limerick played just the third game of their disruptive NHL Division 1 campaign against neighbours Clare at the Gaelic Grounds.

There was little to separate the teams throughout, but a David Reidy goal was pivotal in earning Clare their first win of 2025 on a score of 1-21 to 0-21.

Due to suffering three successive defeats prior to last Sunday, 2025 champions Clare remain towards the foot of the Division 1A table and there are no odds available on them to win the competition for a second successive year as a result.

On two points with just one game left to play, the best that Wexford can hope for is a fourth-place finish in the NHL top-tier and even a win in their final game against Limerick on March 22 might not be enough to save them from relegation.

This means that just five teams are realistically in the hunt for a showpiece spot and a shot at winning a hurling league crown in 2025.

Limerick Remain Favourites For League Honours

Despite currently being fifth in the table and just one point above the relegation zone, Limerick are still the favourites for a Division 1A success heading into their meeting with Galway in the Gaelic Grounds.

Odds of 13/8 are available on Limerick securing their fourth NHL crown under the management of John Kiely.

There are some key players to come back into their starting line-up, but there is enough quality available to Kiely at the moment to be confident of them climbing up the table in the next couple of rounds.

There is still a refixed encounter to come against Kilkenny and with the four teams ahead of them in the standings having played one game more to date, it is arguable that the current table is misleading.

Leaders Tipperary Very Much In The Hunt

It is their provincial rivals Tipperary who are out in front at the moment, but their defeat to Limerick leaves some doubt over their ability to beat the Treaty County if they met again in a top-tier final.

Still, Liam Cahill’s charges have registered excellent wins over Galway, Wexford and Cork thus far, and with 2-32 to his name, Darragh McCarthy is Division 1A’s top-scorer to date.

It is 17 years since Tipperary last won the National Hurling League and the odds on them ending this barren spell are currently 10/3 on GAA betting sites.

Cork And Galway Also In The Reckoning

You have to go back to 1998 for the last time that Cork lifted the NHL trophy, when their current manager Pat Ryan was amongst the starting 15.

Last weekend’s game against Kilkenny was a tough one for Ryan as his young brother Ray – a former Cork hurler in his own right – sadly passed away just a few days before it took place.

Yet the Leesiders (5/1) delivered a performance that their coach could be proud of and they remain viable contenders for top league honours heading into their showdown with Clare on Sunday.

Although they currently occupy second in the Division 1A table, Galway are only fourth favourites at 8/1 on betting apps for an NHL success in 2025.

Things were looking bleak for the Tribesmen following their 12-point defeat at the hands of Tipperary on the first weekend of this season’s competition, but three wins on the bounce has dispelled any notion of them getting caught up in a relegation battle.

As well as winning Leinster and All-Ireland championship crowns in the same year, Michael Donoghue guided Galway to a National Hurling League title in 2017 – the second season of his first tenure as Tribes boss.

He has used a host of players at the start of his second spell, and while they are very much in the reckoning for a league final berth, it is in the summertime that Donoghue and his Galway side will be judged.