Last year's Munster Senior Hurling Championship was absolutely epic and there's no reason to expect this year's will be any different.

Limerick are the form county coming into the competition, but that may not necessarily count for much.

Every team is capable of beating one another on any given day, and you couldn't say with any degree of certainty who the three most likely counties to advance from the province would be at this juncture.

Winning your home games looks like being the first pre-requisite, and victories on the road may be few and far between.

In a competition of very fine margins, injuries to key players could prove decisive and those teams who have to play over three successive weekends might ultimately reflect that left them at a disadvantage.

Whoever is left standing by the time the dust has settled will have earned their progression to the All-Ireland series the hard way.

LIMERICK

Manager: John Kiely

Captain: Declan Hannon

Fixtures: Sun, May 19: Limerick v Cork, Gaelic Grounds, 4pm.

Sun, June 2: Waterford v Limerick, Walsh Park, 2pm.

Sun, June 9: Limerick v Clare, Gaelic Grounds, 4pm.

Sun, June 16: Tipperary v Limerick, Semple Stadium, 2pm.

League Form: Limerick lost just one League match - to Cork - and ultimately defeated Waterford in some style in the Division 1 Final.

Round 1: Wexford 2-11 Limerick 1-17

Round 2: Limerick 1-21 Tipperary 1-14

Round 3: Kilkenny 0-15 Limerick 2-18

Round 4: Limerick 1-21 Cork 2-21

Round 5: Clare 2-11 Limerick 1-14

Quarter-Final: Laois 0-11 Limerick 2-22

Semi-Final: Limerick 1-19 Dublin 1-16

Final: Limerick 1-24 Waterford 0-19

Team news: Limerick recently announced a 37-man squad for the 2019 Championship which includes Richie McCarthy and Paul Browen who are both currently recovering from cruciate ligament injuries. Conor Boylan, Robbie Hanley, Aaron Costello, Jamie Power, and Mikey O’Brien are all new additions from last year.

Player to watch: Peter Casey

Peter Casey had to be content with a substitute’s role during last year’s Championship but there’s a good chance he’ll be a fixture in Limerick’s Championship starting XV this summer. He was outstanding during their victorious League campaign and brings a new dimension to the Limerick attack with his ability to poach points under pressure from all sorts of distances and angles. 

Prospects: The only major piece of silverware not currently in this Limerick team’s possession is the Munster Hurling Cup and they’ll be deadly determined to add it to their collection. By backing up last year’s All-Ireland win with this year’s Allianz Hurling League Division 1title the Shannonsiders have proven they’re hungry for further success. They have arguably the greatest depth of talent of any county, and still have room for improvement because the age-profile of their team is quite young. They’re Munster Championship favourites for a very good reason.

CORK

Manager: John Meyler

Captain: Seamus Harnedy

Fixtures: Sun, May 12: Cork v Tipperary, Pairc Uí Chaoimh, 4pm

Sunday, May 19: Limerick v Cork, Gaelic Grounds, 4pm

Saturday, June 8: Cork v Waterford, Pairc Uí Chaoimh, 7pm

Sunday June 16: Clare v Cork, Cusack Park, 2pm

League Form: Cork finished bottom of the Division 1A table with two wins from five matches but finished their campaign on a high with a play-off victory over Kilkenny.

Round 1: Kilkenny 2-18 Cork 0-17

Round 2: Cork 0-17 Wexford 1-18

Round 3: Cork 1-20 Clare 0-20

Round 4: Limerick 1-21 Cork 2-21

Round 5: Cork 1-16 Tipperary 1-29

Div 1A play-off: Kilkenny 1-16 Cork 2-15

Team news: Sticky corner-back Colm Spillane is ruled out of Cork’s Munster SHC opener against Tipperary with a back injury and another long-term absentee, Michael Cahalane, is still sidelined after Achilles surgery.

Player to watch: Tim O’Mahony: After shuttling between defence and attack last year it looks like O’Mahony has now

nailed down the pivotal centre-back position for Cork. He hurled powerfully there during the League, impressing with his ball-winning and ability to cover right across the half-back line. He’s still relatively inexperienced though, so this year’s Championship will be a big tester for him.

Prospects: Cork haven’t lost a game in Munster on the way to winning the last two Munster titles in a row. They’re a very settled team with a defined and effective pattern of play which could give them an edge over teams like Waterford and Tipperary who are building again under new management. Their away trips to Clare and Limerick look daunting, though, so a win in their first game against Tipperary is vital.

CLARE

Manager: Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor

Captain: Tony Kelly

Fixtures: Sun, May 12: Waterford v Clare, Walsh Park, 2pm

Sun, June 2nd: Clare v Tipperary, Cusack Park, 4pm

Sun, June 9: Limerick v Clare, LIT Gaelic Grounds, 4pm

Sunday June 16: Clare v Cork, Cusack Park, 2pm

League Form: Clare finished third in the Division 1A table after winning two and drawing one of their five group matches. They then fell to a surprisingly heavy defeat to Waterford in the quarter-finals.

Round 1: Tipperary 2-16 Clare 1-11

Round 2: Clare 2-20 Kilkenny 1-22

Round 3: Cork 1-20 Clare 0-20

Round 4: Clare 2-22 Wexford 1-22

Round 5: Clare 2-11 Limerick 1-14

Quarter-Final: Waterford 0-31 Clare 1-14

Team news: Clare will be without injured trio Ian Galvin, Jamie Shanahan, and Conor McGrath for the entirety of the 2019 Championship, but are boosted by the return of Shane O’Donnell from his University studies in the US.

Player to watch: Diarmuid Ryan: The rangy wing-forward really caught the eye for Clare during the League with his

pace, skill, and finishing ability. He’s still just 19 years of age, but already has the poise and physicality to handle himself at the highest level.

Prospects: Clare arguably have the best set of forwards in the country but need to tighten up defensively and play with greater consistency for the full 70 minutes. Playing their last three matches of the Munster SHC in just 15 days will be a big ask, but the fact that two of them are in Fortress Cusack Park should help.

TIPPERARY

Manager: Liam Sheedy

Captain: Seamus Callanan

Fixtures: Sun, May 12: Cork v Tipperary, Pairc Ui Chaoimh, 4pm

Sunday May 19: Tipperary v Waterford, Semple Stadium, 2pm

Sunday June 2: Clare v Tipperary, Cusack Park, 4pm

Sunday June 16: Tipperary v Limerick, Semple Stadium, 2pm

League Form: Tipperary were inconsistent in the League. They lost three of their five Division 1A matches and then were surprisingly beaten at home by Dublin in the Division 1

Quarter-Final.

Round 1: Tipperary 2-16 Clare 1-11

Round 2: Limerick 1-21 Tipperary 1-14

Round 3: Wexford 1-15 Tipperary 1-14

Round 4: Tipperary 0-17 Kilkenny 0-18

Round 5: Cork 1-16 Tipperary 1-29

Quarter-Final: Tipperary 0-23 Dublin 1-21

Team news: Tipperary have a clean bill of health for their first-round clash with Cork.

Player to watch: Mark Kehoe: The 20-year-old Kilsheelan-Kilcash club-man didn’t feature much for Tipp during the League because of his Fitzgibbon Cup commitments with UCC but he might well prove to be an ace in their pack during the Championship. The powerfully built inside-forward is a strong ball-winner with an eye for goal

Prospects: Tipperary failed to win a match in last year’s Championship and were very inconsistent in the League so their form graph isn’t very convincing. Their match schedule is sympathetic though, and the fact that they are coming in relatively under the radar by a Tipperary team’s standards should worry their rivals. Liam Sheedy is a master-motivator and if he can tighten up their full-back line and find a solid midfield partnership then Tipp have the fire-power to beat anyone.

WATERFORD

Manager: Paraic Fanning

Captain: Noel Connors

Fixtures: Sun, May 12: Waterford v Clare, Walsh Park, 2pm

Sunday May 19: Tipperary v Waterford, Semple Stadium, 2pm

Sunday June 2: Waterford v Limerick, Walsh Park, 2pm

Sunday June 8: Cork v Waterford, Pairc Ui Chaoimh, 7pm.

League Form: Waterford won four games from five in Division 1B and then beat Clare and Galway en-route to the

Division 1 Final where they were outclassed by Limerick

Round 1: Waterford 2-28 Offaly 0-7

Round 2: Laois 1-15 Waterford 4-22

Round 3: Waterford 3-15 Carlow 0-10

Round 4: Dublin 1-26 Waterford 4-15

Round 5: Waterford 1-18 Galway 2-13

Quarter-Final: Waterford 0-31 Clare 1-14

Semi-Final: Waterford 1-18 Galway 0-19

Final: Limerick 1-24 Waterford 0-19

Team news: Waterford had a lengthy injury list during the League but it looks like Paraic Fanning will now have a full deck to deal from for the Championship. Tom Devine hasn’t been able to commit to the cause this year because of his medical studies.

Player to watch: Stephen Bennett’s career to date has been hampered by hip injuries but this year he has looked fitter and sharper than ever before. He’s an absolutely gifted hurler so if he can continue hurling at this level he can be the main man in the Waterford attack during the Championship.

Prospects: The League defeat to Limerick exposed some defensive frailties and will be interesting to see if it will also sap Waterford’s confidence. The Deise are playing a more expansive brand of hurling under new manager Paraic Fanning but that is leaving them somewhat exposed defensively. If they are to challenge for provincial honours then you feel they’ll have to win their first match at home against Clare.