One-word ratings of every hurling county’s League campaign so far

Niall McIntyre

The good, the bad and the struggling.

It’s hard to read too much into the curate’s egg that is the National Leagues.

When you’ve counties like Galway – fresh from their first All-Ireland triumph in 29 years and on the back of a winter of celebrations, you never know what shape they’ll be in, both mentally and physically.

And after three rounds of the League, it’s turned out like that, too. Galway haven’t shot the lights in Division 1B, and they’ve only done as much as they’ve had to do. But Micheal Donoghue will be pleased with their business-like progression.

You’ve counties like Waterford – who made it all the way to the All-Ireland final last year, and began their League campaign just after returning from a team holiday. They’ve won the league before, and in the grand scheme of things, the championship is their primary concern.

Then, you’ve Limerick, who’s manager John Kiely was dealt the ugly hand of having 18 of his players either injured or balancing their county commitments with their Fitzgibbon Cup games in the early stages of the competition.

On the other hand, you’ve Wexford, famed for peaking early on in the season and gunning for these ones. You’ve counties like Dublin who’ve been struggling for years and who would have been desperate to make a mark in the early stages here under new management. Similarly, Clare have ambitions.

Those are just a few examples, but it’s clear enough that counties approach the leagues with different intentions and goals.

One thing’s for sure, however, and that’s that no teams wants to lose games. They all have the aim of bringing through a few new players that they can trust come championship. They all have the aim of surviving in their division, of keeping their supporters happy with some exciting displays.

Here’s how we rate every county’s progress so far in Division 1 of the Hurling Leagues, in order from best to worst.