The Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship group stage draw has been made, and all focus will be on one group.
The race for the Dan Breen Cup will get underway after the Premier County’s involvement in the inter-county season comes to an end. And it promises to be an intruguing one.
In the 16-team race, Group 4 has been stacked full of heavyweights.
2017 champions Thurles Sarsfields, 2018 winners Clonoulty Rossmore, 2019 Munster champs Borris-Ileigh, and Kiladangan who prevailed in 2020 have all found themselves in the same group.
Thurles Sars and Kiladangan are currently rated as first and second favourites respectively by bookmakers, while 2019 All-Ireland finalists BorrisโIleigh are fifth in those rankings.
The divisional finals will also offer a route into the knock-out stages, but there is a very real danger for some of the front-runners that they will not even reach the latter end of the competition this season. Expect a battle royale in that section of the championship.
Meanwhile, reigning champions Kilruane MacDonaghs have found themselves drawn with Toomevara, Roscrea and Moycarkey-Borris in Group 2.
Group 1 features Drom-Inch, JK Brackens, Nenagh รire รg and Mullinahone.
Meanwhile, Upperchurch-Drombane, Loughmore-Castleiney, Holycross-Ballycahill, and Templederry Kenyonsย are in Group 3.
Tipperary SHC 2023 draw
Group 1: Drom-Inch, JK Brackens, Nenagh รire รg, Mullinahone
Group 2: Kilruane MacDonaghs, Toomevara, Roscrea, Moycarkey-Borris
Group 3: Upperchurch-Drombane, Loughmore-Castleiney, Holycross-Ballycahill, Templederry Kenyons
Group 4:ย Kiladangan, Clonoulty-Rossmore, Borris-Ileigh, Thurles Sarsfields
For now, however, the focus of hurling fans in the Premier County is fixed on whether Liam Cahill’s county team can progress from the Munster Championship in the coming weeks.
Tipperary open their provincial campaign away to Clare later this month.
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