Hurling championship preview: Low-key Limerick licking their lips

Back in the 1990s, the US air force unveiled what has become popularly known as the 'stealth bomber'.

A bulky beast capable of inflicting huge destruction, it arrives at its target undetected by the enemy.

Ahead of this week’s hurling championship throw-in, Limerick’s own marshal John Kiely has managed a similar feat – somehow a team aiming for their fourth All-Ireland title in five years is coming in under the radar.

All the talk this spring has been about Waterford, who racked up an average of 3-22 per game en route to the Allianz Hurling League title.

Liam Cahill’s dynamic side managed 5-20 in the semi-final against previously unbeaten Wexford and 4-20 in the final against All-Ireland finalists Cork.

The Déise have married skill, intensity and goal-threat to such a degree that former manager Derek McGrath recently told RTÉ Sport that they are now "the team to beat".

And yet… Limerick have had the edge on all five occasions the counties have faced each other since Kiely’s first campaign in charge in 2017.

The closest Waterford got in that time was the four-point defeat in the 2020 Munster final. It was an 11-point gap in that year’s All-Ireland decider and the same in the semi-finals last August.

So, Waterford have earned their tag of mandatory challengers but it still remains to be seen whether they can take down the champs.

Limerick only beat Offaly in the league and are the eighth best team in the country, if the table is a reliable guide. It’s not.

Since the pandemic struck, the Treaty have been content to return later than other teams, take training breaks and peak for when it matters rather than chasing the minor silverware. Or "the real stuff" as Gearóid Hegarty said this week, while ominously adding that Limerick are "in