Hurling Power Rankings After Pivotal Weekend In Munster Round Robin

After a huge weekend of hurling, everything we thought we knew hasn't been totally disproven but it's not as straightforward as it previously appeared. Limerick's empire struck back, Kilkenny beat the Dubs again and All-Ireland champions Clare were eliminated as they watched on.

With Cork and Waterford both fighting to stay alive in the championship, the drama will certainly continue until the very end on the final day.

Four counties have been officially eliminated from Liam MacCarthy - Clare, Wexford, Offaly and Antrim - so we've bumped them from the player ratings.

Here are our most recent power rankings published 15 May. Limerick have risen from second to top spot with Cork falling two places.

Limerick blew Cork away with an incredible performance that underlined exactly why they've won the last six Munster titles and were going for five All-Irelands in a row last summer. The performances of Cian Lynch and Kyle Hayes were a warning to all other contenders. John Kiely's side outplayed Cork all over the field and it is safe to say that a performance like that puts Limerick right back at the top of the pack.

Kilkenny are consistently flying under the radar in the Leinster championship, away from the fireworks of Munster. 1-9 from TJ Reid along with another start for Adrian Mullen and suddenly Derek Lyng's team are moving along nicely. Letting a sixteen point lead get whittled down to two is a point of concern but they were able to fend off Dublin again and will be a stern test for whoever comes out of Munster should they win Leinster.

Cork will be in a state of shock after Sunday's sixteen-point hammering at the hands of Limerick but they have the tools to respond. This is the first time since their magnificent win last year against the same opposition kept them alive in Munster that they will be asked serious questions. How they bounce back will tell us a lot about Cork but with players like Brian Hayes, Patrick Horgan and Darragh Fitzgibbon they still have to be watched very closely. Such a heavy defeat means they drop two places in the power rankings.

When Stephen Bennett struck for goal inside thirty seconds, Tipp fans must have feared the worst. They didn't panic though and responded in a very measured fashion that shows some of the progression they've made under Liam Cahill. Nine points from play from the trio of Andrew Ormond, Jake Morris and John McGrath shows that Tipp still have that cutting edge up front. The introduction of Noel McGrath with twenty to go and Darragh McCarthy's efficiency from dead balls helps Tipp stay in the top four.

Waterford under Peter Queally have made some serious strides but Sunday's defeat to Tipperary will hurt. That game was seen as Waterford's best chance of progressing to the All-Ireland series. They began like a house on fire but Tipp eventually exerted control over them. they will travel to Cork knowing a win is the only thing that can keep their championship alive. Big performances from Stephen Bennett, Jamie Barron and Conor Prunty will be needed to dump Cork out at home.

For large portions of Sunday's match with Kilkenny, Dublin looked off the pace but the way in which they responded will give them great heart. Seán Currie's 2-6 and Cian O'Sullivan's 1-5 showed that they have the firepower to give any team a scare. Dublin welcome Galway to Parnell Park in their final game in what is a Leinster semifinal.

Galway have stuttered and spluttered a bit through the championship so far. Cathal Mannion is performing at incredible levels shooting 0-17 against Wexford in Salthill but the supporting cast so far has been disappointing overall. We learned very little about them in their 28-point drubbing of Antrim on Saturday. They go to Parnell Park to face Dublin knowing a win puts them in the Leinster final but their opening round defeat to Kilkenny still leaves doubts and puts them at the bottom of our power rankings.