The Lay Of The Land In Munster Hurling Championship At Halfway Point Of Round Robin

The bearpit of the Munster championship is nearing its titanic conclusion, with every team having two games remaining.

Cork and Limerick look like the most likely finalists on form, with Waterford, Tipp and Clare all in with a chance of claiming the final qualifying place.

We look at what each team must do in their final two games to assure qualification out of the group of death.

Points after 2 games: 3

Remaining fixtures: Limerick (a), Waterford (h)

The Rebels enter the lion's den next with a trip t0 Limerick in a mouth-watering tie before playing their last game at home to Waterford.

A win in either game will put Pat Ryan’s side in pole position for the Munster final, but they want to keep their momentum going.

Points after 2 games: 3

Remaining fixtures: Cork (h), Clare (h)

John Kiely’s men put in an impressive performance against Waterford and now turn their attention to Cork before ending their campaign against the old enemy, Clare.

They'll be thrilled to have three points in the bag after two matches on the road. The Treaty needs a win to ensure qualification and the possibility of winning seven Munster titles in a row, but I say they would take a top-three spot without the provincial decider if it meant regaining Liam.

Points after 2 games: 2

Remaining fixtures: Tipp (a), Cork (a)

The plan is simple: Waterford will beat Tipperary, and they will have four points on the board and a head-to-head over the Premier men and Clare. This should get them into the top three for the first time since the introduction of the competition format, as facing the task of beating Cork down Leeside to secure qualification seems a daunting task.

Points after 2 games: 1

Remaining fixtures: Tipp (h), Limerick (a)

The All-Ireland champions' year so far has been challenging, apart from their epic comeback against Cork.

Brian Lohan’s side needs to beat Tipperary this Saturday in Ennis. After that, they'll likely need something in the Gaelic Grounds on the last day and hope Waterford don’t gain any more points to assure qualification out of Munster.

Points after 2 games: 1

Remaining fixtures: Clare (a), Waterford (h)

Similar to Clare, Liam Cahill's men need two wins to get out of Munster. The slight advantage for Liam Cahill’s men is that they have Waterford if they need results to go on the head-to-head rule.

Could it be another campaign for the Premier men have peaked too soon? Saturday's game will be fascinating