Tipperary Senior Hurling Power Rankings: Round 1 - Every club ranked ahead of championship throw-in

1. Loughmore Castleiney

Chasing three county senior titles in a row, there is no doubting their place at the top. They backed up their claims by downing pretenders to their crown, Holycross Ballycahill, in the Mid Championship final. They will be hard to stop.

Key Player: John McGrath

Player to Watch: Joey Quinn

2. Nenagh Éire Óg

They suffered a disappointing North final loss, but their sights are firmly set on bigger prizes. They have plenty of depth in their panel this year and were so close to picking up a second county title last year. They will get stronger as the year progresses.

Key Player: Jake Morris

Player to Watch: Billy O’Brien

3. Holycross Ballycahill

Still at the very beginning of their lifecycle, this team has all the raw materials to win the big prizes. They say you have to lose to win, and that experience against Loughmore Castleiney in the last year will do them no harm in the long run.

Key Player: Bryan O’Mara

Player to Watch: Cathal O’Reilly

4. Kiladangan

Far from a vintage North campaign, 2026 was the first time in nine years that Kiladangan failed to qualify for the divisional decider. Returning players will bolster their efforts. They have a huge bank of training done since early in the year under Dan Hackett and will be primed for the county series.

Key Player: Paul Flynn

Player to Watch: Tom Boland

5. Thurles Sarsfields

The loss of Ronan Maher is a big blow to their prospects, but they still have the raw materials to challenge for county honours. They have a nice mix of experienced players and new talent, with Euan Murray and Kieran Rossiter injecting fresh energy. If they get going early, they will be tough for anyone to beat.

Key Player: Conor Stakelum

Player to Watch: Euan Murray

6. Toomevara

The Greyhounds have been ultra-consistent in their qualification from the group stages in recent years, but they are looking to make more consistent runs in knockout hurling. With plenty of underage players now feeding into the mix, they are still improving year on year in terms of panel depth and will need everyone available to challenge.

Key Player: Darragh McCarthy

Player to Watch: Patrick Hackett

7. Kilruane MacDonaghs

Similar to Toomevara, Kilruane MacDonaghs have fed some really good players into their ranks since the 2022 county final triumph and are beginning to add real depth to their panel. They still have the vast cohort of that victorious team and will fancy a scalp against Holycross in round one.

Key Player: Niall O’Meara

Player to Watch: Tommy O’Meara

8. Borris-Ileigh

A confident Borris-Ileigh is a dangerous prospect. A superb North final showing will surely galvanise them heading into the county series. Impressive underage teams are coming of age in the senior setup now, but they are in a tough group and will need consistency to make it out of the group stages automatically for the first time since 2021.

Key Player: Tom Delaney

Player to Watch: Jack Bevans

9. Moycarkey Borris

Moycarkey Borris have had a long 12-month wait to right the wrongs of last year's quarter-final loss to Drom & Inch. They never reached the heights they are capable of and will feel that, despite being in a tough group, they will be in the shake-up if they can reach knockout hurling.

Key Player: David Costigan

Player to Watch: Killian Cantwell

10. Drom & Inch

Produced a good performance despite losing to Holycross Ballycahill in the Mid Championship. Drom & Inch are still reliant on a lot of the older brigade as they face into this year's county championship. Along with that experience, they will need younger players to pick up the slack if they are to make an impression this year.

Key Player: Seamus Callanan

Player to Watch: Cormac Fitzpatrick

11. Clonoulty Rossmore

A fine day's work was had by the now ten-in-a-row West champions a fortnight ago. They will garner big confidence from the overall team performance, but the loss of Enda Heffernan is colossal to the team. They have the back-up of a preliminary quarter-final but will want to avoid that route if possible. They are in a tough group.

Key Player: Stephen Ferncombe

Player to Watch: Seamus Kennedy

12. Cashel King Cormacs

Cashel have made massive strides already this year and, despite that disappointing West final loss, will be buoyed thus far. They have the talent to beat anyone on any given day but will need to find the right formula in terms of their line-up to bring their efforts to a consistent level.

Key Player: Eoghan Connolly

Player to Watch: Denis O’Callaghan

13. JK Brackens

Brackens' Mid final success in 2025 was quickly dispelled when they exited the group before eventually bowing out in a preliminary quarter-final. There is a sense now that, with Mid titles in the bank, they will shift more focus to improving their county output. They will need to defeat one of the North pair, Toomevara or Nenagh Éire Óg, which will be a tough ask, but they will relish the challenge.

Key Player: Andrew Ormond

Player to Watch: Padraic O’Shea

14. Roscrea

A really positive pair of performances in the North Championship can't be disregarded, but Roscrea will need a big improvement on previous years to have a chance at progressing to knockout hurling. They have a very tough group, but if the level of divisional performance transfers over, they will be a test for any of them.

Key Player: Alan Tynan

Player to Watch: Leigh Loughnane

15. Mullinahone

The South's sole representative at this grade, they will have it all to do to avoid the drop to the second tier. They are always game and battling in their performances, but with a tough group and the loss of some key personnel for various reasons, they have it all to do. Their first game against Toomevara will tell a lot.

Key Player: Sean Curran

Player to Watch: Sam Rowan

16. Upperchurch Drombane

Drawn into a very challenging group, Upperchurch Drombane will have their fairytale 2025/26 season well in the rear-view mirror ahead of their return to senior level. They received a reality check against Sarsfields in the Mid Championship and will need to improve to get their confidence going early in round one.

Key Player: Keith Ryan

Player to Watch: Philip O’Dwyer