There are only five games of hurling left this year.
Hurling has ruled the roost up to now and although football has a strong hand this weekend with the Super 8s kicking off, hurling will still be number one.
That’s because there are two absolutely mouthwatering quarter finals taking place on Saturday and Sunday where two hurling giants will fall for another year.
Clare v Wexford, Páirc Ui Chaoimh, 3pm, Saturday, RTÉ
The Davy derby. Davy Fitzgerald’s adopted Wexford will take on his native Clare in a crunch clash in Cork. Clare come into this one wounded on the back of a second half Munster final no-show and they’ll be gunning to show Davy and the rest of us that it was just a minor blip.
Meanwhile, there is a sense that for this Wexford team a big scalp like Clare’s is absolutely crucial. They fell at this stage to Waterford last year and though they’ve been knocking on the door, they’ll feel now that it’s time to beat that door bloody well down.
All roads lead to Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday to kick it all off. Wexford supporters aren’t happy about the trip across the country for a second year in a row, and this stance is hardened by the fact that there’s no Hawk-eye Leeside.
All the same, it promises to be a fizzy one.
Kilkenny v Limerick, Semple Stadium, 2pm, Sunday, RTÉ
It’s hard to believe that one of these teams will be gone by next Sunday but that’s how it is. Limerick were the most impressive team in Munster for the first four weeks only for a capitulation when it wasn’t do-or-die against Clare.
They’re back on track after hammering Carlow but a cake-walk like that mightn’t be the best preparation for this.
Kilkenny meanwhile pushed Galway closer than anyone over the last two weekends and though a normal team might be tired playing three crucial games three weeks in a row, Kilkenny have shown time and time again that they’re not human.
They’re back in Semple again. This will be something special.
What a weekend of hurling it’s going to be.
