No manager has ever survived failing to qualify from the Munster SHC round-robin.
In 2019 and 2022 respectively, Paraic Fanning and Colm Bonnar departed at the end of their maiden seasons. That’s how cut-throat the game has become.
The system provides four games to show the county what you can do, adequate time to decide if the project is worth persisting with.
2018 saw the final stands of Michael Ryan in Tipperary and Derek McGrath in Waterford; in 2019, Cork parted ways with John Meyler, while Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor left Clare.
Then last year, Liam Cahill’s and Kieran Kingston’s tenures with the Deise and Cork came to a close after finishing outside the top three in Munster.
Davy Fitzgerald has plenty of credit in the bank after winning provincial titles with Waterford (2010) and Wexford (2019), with an All-Ireland for the Banner (2013) sandwiched in between.
Should his Deise side not show up for him this weekend, the curtain may also come down on his stewardship after one year. "I’m f***ing going no place" was his message after the 12-point defeat to Clare, which ended their hopes of progression. That may not be his decision.
What he needs on Sunday is a huge performance from his players. In their final group game of 2022, the men in white folded up the tents and were hammered in Ennis. No matter whose decision it was, then manager Cahill had to go.
Tipp were routed at home to Cork a year ago and, unsightly though it may have been, Bonnar also had to depart. Losing is one thing, but there needs to be an honour in it.
For county boards, the decision is often made when the locals stop paying through the gates. So watch this space, as the Deise crowd are unlikely to show up at Semple Stadium.
Tipp manager Cahill, having jumped the fence over the winter, would love nothing more than consigning his former players and Fitzgerald to a miserable ending to a horrid campaign.
The two bosses shared a finger-wag suggesting "I’ll see you in Munster" after a league game a couple of months back, though a sideline suspension for Cahill will prevent an up-close reunion for the bainisteoirs.
The hosts had a huge performance at home to Limerick last week and came away with a 0-25 apiece draw.
Three players — Ronan Maher, Gearoid O’Connor and Conor Stakelum — all finished the game with cramp, and each is again named to start against Waterford.
Given the mental and physical tolls of that outing last weekend, there is a chance that Tipperary’s engine will struggle to find top gear at stages on Sunday.
Waterford surely can’t end two seasons in a row with disgraceful performances and, though they are unlikely to win, a bit of fight allied to their quality means it is worth considering backing them +8 at evens.
This weekend could be the last time we see Patrick Horgan in the famed red of Cork.
The Glen Rovers man made his debut in 2008 and has hit a record 22-532 in championship. His battle with TJ Reid for all-time scoring supremacy continues, but the Kilkenny man has the advantage because his team are likely to play at least two games more.
Horgan’s record against Limerick has been chequered over the years. There have been good days, of course, but disappointment has followed the classy forward too.
Recall the (soft) red card he was shown in the Munster final at the Gaelic Grounds in 2013, coming so close in the 2018 All Ireland semi-final, missing a penalty in the Munster 2021 clash, and the impossible task of being shelled with endless long balls when outnumbered by green giants in the All Ireland final loss later that year.
In 2019, Hoggie hit 1-9 to defeat the Treaty, while 2014 saw the Glen man lead The Rebels to Munster glory against the same opposition. Recent meetings have been painful, but this is a more human-looking Limerick this year.
While Horgan may be heading for his final stop in a Cork jersey, it may also be the end of days for Seamus Harnedy and Conor Lehane if they cannot help their side across the line in this win-or-bust clash.
Combined with Horgan, the trio come in at a combined age of 97, and that will jump to 99 as the leaves begin to turn brown in a few months’ time (Whist up, says you, it still feels as though the summer hasn’t even started before you’re talking about it ending).
Lehane has been placed on the bench for Sunday’s clash but is likely to be unleashed as the game goes on. Speed and powerful running have upset the Treaty during the championship, and starting three older players would make little sense.
A calculated balance between brains and brutish running is what Pat Ryan desires at the Gaelic Grounds. It is his first season in charge, and he will certainly survive the winter even if Cork fail to get what they need to progress: a draw or a win.
John Kiely is in an awkward spot this week as he can’t trial any changes with so little time to experiment after the draw with Tipperary. Does he trust in experience or gamble on youth? When a team does not regenerate, the risk is that they stagnate.
Cian Lynch and Gearoid Hegarty are not old men by any stretch, but they have been markedly off-colour in recent games. Rival sides have caught up athletically and tactically, and the question is whether their hunger remains.
They showed heart to come from behind against Tipp but they are beginning to look battle-weary after spending so much time in rarefied air atop the mountain.
There were rumours of food poisoning in the camp last week which may explain some of their struggles in Tipperary, but the narrow win over Waterford and loss to Clare had also presented signs that they can be caught.
For that reason, Cork draw no bet at 13/5 is enticing.
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