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Even before a ball is pucked in this spring campaign, many are casting an eye ahead to the Championship, stating that the race for the All-Ireland is as open as it has been for some time.
If that is the case, then the league should offer much to delight the purists.
Similar to the football league, the competition is set for an earlier finish, with the Division 1 final scheduled for 23 April. Also, on a pilot basis in 2017, all quarter-finals and semi-finals will finish on the day the games are played, so avoiding the need for replays.
If these games are level after two separate periods of extra time have been played, the outcome will be decided by a free-taking competition.
New managers:
Colm Bonnar (Carlow)
Donal Moloney and Gerry O'Connor (Clare)
Fintan O'Connor (Kerry)
Eamonn Kelly (Laois)
John Kiely (Limerick)
Kevin Ryan (Offaly)
Davy Fitzgerald (Wexford)
ALLIANZ HURLING LEAGUE FIXTURES
DIVISION 1A (Clare, Cork, Dublin, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford)
Clare are the defending Division 1 champions but Davy Fitzgerald is no longer on the sideline. Donal Moloney and Gerry O'Connor, after leading the county to a hat-trick of All-Ireland U-21 titles, are the new men at the helm.
The view exists that the Banner should have added to their senior title won in 2013 and so they'll be a pressure of sorts on Moloney and O'Connor to be competitive on all fronts in the months ahead.
Clare begin their league defence away to Cork on Saturday and then have consecutive games against Kilkenny and Tipperary - an appetising trio of matches
Good news for the new management is that Patrick Donnellan has returned to training with the squad after a cruciate ligament saw him miss the entire 2016 season. Ian Galvin, Patrick O’Connor and Conor McGrath are also on the way back following surgery.
In a recent interview in the Irish Independent, Tipperary manager Michael Ryan spoke about “that typical Tipperary softness” that crept in over the winter months following their last All-Ireland triumph in 2010.
And even though the Premier did reach the decider in 2011, Kilkenny did not have to extend themselves too much in wrestling Liam MacCarthy from their grasp.
To that end, we will wait to see how Tipp have wintered this time around ahead of the pursuit of more silverware. The celebrations that followed last September’s triumph were somewhat low key compared to previous triumphs. It’s as if the ‘home of hurling” have learned a lesson – no more of that.
It’s 2001 since Tipperary last completed the league and championship double and you have to go back to 1965 for the last time they successfully defended Liam MacCarthy. Ryan’s squad can create their own history in the months ahead and crucially it’s a squad that has depth.
A decent crowd at Croke Park should be in attendance for Tipp’s opener against Dublin on Saturday. A week later, Tipperary are on their travels again, this time against Waterford. The first steps on what they hope is a first league success since 2008 – and a 20th in total.
Kilkenny are next in the roll call, with 19 titles. Brian Cody has had much to ponder over the close season after Tipperary led his side a merry dance for most of the second half in last year’s All-Ireland final.
It wasn’t until the 60th minute of that game that Cody made a change on a day when his forward line failed to function and the half-back division were forced to play higher up the field.
Let’s be honest, the Seamus Callanan, John McGrath and John O’Dwyer had the Cats rearguard bamboozled when it mattered most on 4 September.
Doubts remain as to whether Michael Fennelly will return. If he does, we probably won’t see him until the summer. Having Ger Aylward back will be a boost. John Walsh, Richie Leahy and Paddy Deegan are just some of the names that will be vying for starting places during this campaign.
Brian Cody does not have to reinvent the wheel, but Kilkenny do require a reboot as the hurling landscape is certainly more competitive than it was six years ago following the county’s last All-Ireland setback.
Waterford came close to retaining their league crown in 2016 and then failed to put Kilkenny away at the first time of asking in the All-Ireland semi-final.
Take out the horror show against Tipp in the Munster final – and it was a horror show – the Déise will feel that in spite of the small margins they are going in the right direction.
It will be interesting to see what game plan Derek McGrath comes up to see them emerge on the right side of tight calls.
The style of hurling they adopted at the latter end of 2016 heightens the anticipation as to what this season has to offer.
Potential early season blockbusters see Waterford up against Killkenny and Tipperary.
Much focus will be on Dublin and Ger Cunningham, with some saying that they may struggle to stay in the Division.
A number of the panel are involved with Cuala, who are currently preparing for an All-Ireland club semi-final on 25 February.
By that stage, the Dubs will have played Tipperary and Cork and will hope to have some points on the board.
Cunningham has cast the net wide in the pursuit of fresh talent with the likes Donal Burke of Cian O’Sullivan showing well in the Walsh Cup.
Cork won only two of their nine competitive games in 2016. Crucially, one of those was the Division 1A play-off against Galway in Salthill last April.
With the county now more competitive in the underage grades, there is now hope that Kieran Kingston’s squad will be more competitive on all fronts in the months.
Kingston has revamped his squad, with a fair sprinkling of youth now set to see action in the weeks ahead. The fixture computer has them at home against Clare and Dublin in their opening games.
Getting a return from those encounters is essential if they are to stay in the top flight.
DIVISION 1B (Galway, Kerry, Laois, Limerick, Offaly, Wexford)
What an interesting section we have here. The clash of Wexford and Limerick is indeed one of the standout games of the opening weekend.
Davy Fitz’s arrival in the Model County has generated much excitement, as evidenced by the 4,000 spectators that turned up in New Ross to watch them against Kilkenny in the Walsh Cup semi-final.
In round two, Wexford travel to Galway. It’s a tough start, with Fitzgerald ruling out his side’s chances of getting promotion.
He told RTÉ Sport: “I think we’ll learn a lot but I don’t think we’ll get out of 1B this year.
“You’re hoping over the next two years we’ll get out of that and be challenging in the top three or four.”
For more years than they would have liked, Limerick have been stuck in 1B. It has meant a lack of high-profile matches at the Gaelic Grounds, while also affecting their chances of summer success.
That said, Limerick, while in the second tier, came close to contesting an All-Ireland final in 2014. Things have slipped back since, but buoyed by an All-Ireland U-21 title from 2015 and with the man who oversaw that success, John Kiely, now at the helm, there is a positive vibe that the county can make a real dash in 2017.
Galway are favourites to get promotion, though it’s not a given. It could all come down to the game away to Limerick on 26 March.
No doubt, manager Micheál Donoghue will use some of the games to experiment and so unearth talent that may make the difference when it comes to the championship.
Elsewhere, Offaly, Laois and Kerry, all under new management will be striving to reach a league quarter-final, while also seeking to avoid a relegation play-off.
