{"id":407834,"date":"2026-04-20T06:50:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T06:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/407834\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T06:50:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T06:50:09","slug":"horgan-predicts-early-end-to-tipperary-title-defence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/407834\/","title":{"rendered":"Horgan predicts early end to Tipperary title defence"},"content":{"rendered":"

All-Ireland champions Tipperary are facing a season of being Munster also-rans and an early exit in their quest to defend the Liam MacCarthy according to two men who know a thing or two about the alligator swamp that is the Munster Senior Hurling Championship.<\/p>\n

Speaking with Jacqui Hurley on RT\u00c9’s The Sunday Game, former Clare player Anthony Daly and recently retired Cork forward Patrick Horgan both suggested that an early end to the Premier County\u2019s hurling summer might be on the cards.<\/p>\n

After an opening round-robin defeat to Horgan\u2019s former team-mates<\/a>, whom they defeated in last year\u2019s All-Ireland final \u2013 while Horgan was still very much an active player with the Rebels \u2013 Tipperary now face more or less a do-or-die trip to Walsh Park to take on a Waterford side who will be emboldened by their showing against Clare<\/a>, even if their efforts, like Tipp\u2019s, ultimately fell short.<\/p>\n

Only three teams can progress from the round-robin stage, the top two finishers will contest the Munster final while the third-placed team will head to an All-Ireland quarter-final against the beaten Leinster finalists.<\/p>\n

\"Sunday
\nThe public have spoken – but Pa Horgan isn’t fully convinced<\/p>\n

Early days though it is, the top three in the table after the first round of fixtures reads Clare-Cork-Limerick and the panellists don\u2019t expect it to look a whole lot different in three games\u2019 time.<\/p>\n

Daly gives Tipp some hope \u2013 but his fellow analyst Horgan is not so sure.<\/p>\n

“Tipp still have a good chance, they have another home game to come,” Daly said.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s massive this weekend going to Walsh Park. If they lose that they\u2019re probably in massive trouble.<\/p>\n

“Waterford will give it a fair lash. [Waterford manager] Pete Queally was positive enough there in his interview.”<\/p>\n

Horgan, on the other hand, suggested Tipp\u2019s reign will be as short as it gets. Next Sunday\u2019s trip to the D\u00e9ise might effectively spell the end of the road for whichever team falls on the wrong side of the scoreline.<\/p>\n

“I would pick the [current] top three to go through, but I would give Waterford a better chance than Tipp of going through at the moment,” the Corkman said.<\/p>\n

“[Waterford] did show something today, but I think Tipp showed very little \u2013 and that\u2019s a worry.”<\/p>\n

Public asked as to who will not come out of Munster? Anthony Daly and Patrick Horgan have their say and point out the ‘massive’ game between Waterford and Tipperary next weekend #rtegaa<\/a> #sundaygame<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/CtMcu2ij4A<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) April 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n