As so many musicians have learned over the years, the term “difficult second album” exists for a reason.

After a good performance, the level of general expectation is raised and so only a noticeable improvement will suffice. So the 2019 hurling championship has a lot to live up to in terms of reaching the same heights as its predecessor.

Even given the glacial levels of change we’re used to in the GAA, it’s still somewhat strange to think that it took until 2018 for the penny to drop that people might want to see more games between the top teams. The notion that too much of a good thing would leave fans spoiled was certainly disproven by the quality on show in the round-robin games last year.

Tipperary’s seven-point win over Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in the opening round of the Munster SHC on Sunday might suggest a lack of competitiveness

Obviously, it’s too early to make any sort of a judgement on the current year’s offering with only one weekend to go on, but it’s not likely that we’ll be short of excitement for 2019.

Tipperary’s seven-point win over Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in the opening round of the Munster SHC on Sunday might suggest a lack of competitiveness, but straightaway it throws up the prospect of Cork having to go to Limerick this weekend for what is only just short of a win-or-bust game.

Given that those two counties served up a pair of absorbing 70-minute draws last summer, with the Shannonsiders’ greater depth getting them over the line after extra time in the all-Ireland semi-final, another classic could be in store.

While Cork weren’t good on Sunday, it’s worth bearing in mind that they are still going for what would be the first three-in-a-row in Munster in three decades

Right now, it’s probably hard for anybody to foresee anything but a win for Limerick, and they certainly played with the swagger of all-Ireland champions during their successful league campaign, but their Division 1A schedule did include a loss to Cork at the newly renamed LIT Gaelic Grounds.

While Cork weren’t good on Sunday, it’s worth bearing in mind that they are still going for what would be the first three-in-a-row in Munster in three decades and that they were forced into a late pre-match change as Bill Cooper was forced to cry off with a back injury. Cooper wouldn’t have scored seven points, but his absence meant that the team had to be rejigged and Cork lost the dynamism that comes from his midfield partnership with Darragh Fitzgibbon.

Sheedy didn’t have to come back into the job he left after the high of the all-Ireland in 2010, but his comments after Sunday’s game showed how highly he believes in a team that has been written off in some quarters

That said, Tipp were at a different level on Sunday and a full-strength Cork – Alan Cadogan was another costly injury loss – may not have lived with them anyway. John O’Dwyer’s seven points, and wonderful assist for John McGrath’s goal, were emblematic of Tipp’s intent, with 11 scorers in total. Having been left on the outside looking in last year – and after being beaten by Cork in the first round of the last “old” Munster championship in 2017 – it’s clear that Liam Sheedy’s team mean business.

Sheedy didn’t have to come back into the job he left after the high of the all-Ireland in 2010, but his comments after Sunday’s game showed how highly he believes in a team that has been written off in some quarters.

“I’m going on what I see in training,” he said. “I’ve seen them up close for months now and seen the condition they have got themselves in. The heroic defending we did finishing up there was very much to like, but these guys are able to play.

“The day someone tells me that someone at 29 years of age is too old to play in championship hurling; well that’s contrary to what I think.”

The players will have a chance to further underline his faith in them when they host Waterford on Sunday, with the Déise’s comeback falling just short against Clare in what was the first provincial hurling championship game in Walsh Park since 2003.

Clare held out by a point and won’t need to be reminded of the impact small margins can have. Last year, Tipp’s Jake Morris nearly scored the goal to eliminate the Banner in the group stage but his shot hit the post and moments later Ian Galvin had the ball in the Tipp net. Later in the summer, a post at the other end of Semple Stadium would deny Clare the goal that would surely have put Galway to the sword in the all-Ireland semi-final replay.

Galway are up and running and so are Kilkenny, after being asked tough questions by Dublin

Instead, the Tribesmen prevailed, before losing their crown to Limerick. Micheál Donoghue’s side began their quest to get back on top of the pile on Sunday too but Carlow weren’t acquiescent visitors – we don’t think it’s too outlandish to see that they were the cause of a few accumulators going south.

Nevertheless, Galway are up and running and so are Kilkenny, after being asked tough questions by Dublin (one of them being: “What would happen if a selector caught the ball?”). In his 21st year in charge, Brian Cody’s powers of motivation remain as strong as ever. It’s a cliché but his impact will only be truly appreciated when he is gone. The Dubs will have a lot to be heartened by but ultimately they wound up with nothing and there is no time or opportunity to indulge in self-pity before Davy Fitzgerald’s Wexford rock up to Parnell Park on Sunday for their opener.

As with Limerick against Cork, it’s hard to judge the team that is just starting off against an opponent which has had an outing. Win, and you were fresh against tired opponents; lose, and you were rusty against a team which has got into its stride.

Obviously, it’s impossible to know precisely what will happen in advance and that is the beauty of the make-up of the hurling championship since these changes have been made – the landscape is constantly changing and it seems that there is no rhyme or reason to what we are witnessing.

The only pity is that, with 22 provincial games between 11 May and 30 June and just seven more from then until the all-Ireland final on 18 August, it’s a bit too front-loaded. Still, we’ll enjoy it all the same.