A place in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final is up for grabs this afternoon as old rivals Clare and Limerick meet at Croke Park.
The winners will advance to the decider on July 19, where they will face Galway after the Tribesmen produced a superb second-half display to defeat Cork by 2-26 to 1-18 in Saturday’s semi-final.
Today’s meeting marks the latest chapter in one of hurling’s greatest rivalries. The neighbouring counties have not met in an All-Ireland semi-final since 2013, when Clare emerged victorious before going on to claim the Liam MacCarthy Cup following a replay win over Cork.
There is added significance to the occasion for Clare forward Shane O’Donnell, who announced earlier this week that he intends to retire from inter-county hurling. The 2024 Hurler of the Year will be hoping to extend his championship career by at least one more game and move a step closer to winning a third All-Ireland medal.
Limerick arrive at headquarters as both National League and Munster champions and will be full of confidence after their comprehensive 15-point victory over Clare during the Munster round-robin earlier this season.
Manager John Kiely has kept faith with the same starting fifteen that defeated Cork in the Munster final, meaning Adam English once again begins among the substitutes.
Clare are also unchanged from the side that overcame Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final, with both Conor Cleary and David McInerney recovering from injury concerns to retain their places in the starting line-up.
This afternoon’s clash will be the 65th championship meeting between the counties. Limerick hold the historical advantage with 41 victories, while Clare have won 21 of the previous encounters.
Throw-in at Croke Park is scheduled for 4 pm, with the winners earning the right to contest this year’s All-Ireland final against Galway.
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