Preview: Clare to upend last year's result or Kilkenny to dismiss form?

In the wake of a bad defeat, managers will usually say something about reviewing the tapes and assessing what went wrong before learning from it and coming again.

Brian Lohan didn't say that after last year's catastrophic semi-final defeat to Kilkenny. In fact, Clare didn't say anything publically, swerving that particular responsibility.

Avoiding the media has been a theme during the frustratingly muted build-up to the annual festival of hurling at Croke Park, with the same four counties who faced off at this stage last year facilitating no press access.

Lohan, as player and manager, has always been inclined to let his actions do the talking, but there is no doubt he and his selectors studied the evidence from last year's 12-point defeat to the Leinster champions, who many had expected to be swept aside by the second best team in the divine province of Munster.

That was Brian Cody's last win in Croke Park as Kilkenny manager, replaced as he was in the wake of the defeat to Limerick by Derek Lyng, who has no doubt also studied the tape of last year's semi-final.

At a glance not much has changed: Clare the closest challenger to Limerick in Munster, ruing what might have been in a close Munster final, fancied to take care of a Kilkenny side who failed to convince in their Leinster final win over Galway.

Rather than a draining quarter-final victory over Wexford though, Clare had a comfortable outing against Dublin. So having been the first team since Kilkenny in 2019 to beat Limerick in championship, the Banner have every reason to be confident.

Or do they?

Because the qualities that led to that Kilkenny win 12 months ago still exist, while Clare's perceived weaknesses have not necessarily been eradicated.

Kilkenny's aerial prowess