Summer is here.

Last Sunday lit the touch paper, there’s no time to rest on laurels though. It’s week-on-week, it’s championship hurling and this weekend brings another mouth watering round of fixtures.

Colm Parkinson and Cheddar Plunkett previewed it all on Thursday’s GAA Hour Hurling Show.

Joe McDonagh Cup round two (Saturday)

Westmeath v Offaly (Cusack Park, 3.00)

Having lost to Laois last weekend, Offaly are in dire need of a win to get their campaign back on track. Westmeath will be no pushovers though especially with one of hurling’s best full backs in Tommy Jogger Doyle manning the Cusack Park square.

Cheddar still fancies Offaly to do the business though.

“It is a massive, massive game for Offaly. I think there is a spirit in them and if they get enough ball into Joe Bergin, Oisin Kelly and Shane…Having said that, Westmeath probably have the best full back in hurling at the moment in Tommy Doyle but I’m just going to go for Offaly in this game, I think they know what it means both long term and short term, they’re going to give it everything and I think that might see them over the line…”

Laois v Antrim (O’Moore Park, 3.00)

Both teams come into this game with momentum, Laois having beaten Offaly and Antrim having taken care of Kerry. Cheddar fancies his own county Laois to do the job though, despite having a very high regard for Antrim club hurling.

“I think Laois, being at home and with the momentum they have from last weekend that they’ll push on from here. Having said that, I’ve great regard for Antrim hurling. The interest in Antrim club hurling is probably more than any other county in the country and sometimes I’d be surprised that they don’t push on considering what’s available in the county. They had a great win last win, they’re in the very same position, they’ll use that as a launchpad to push on,” said Cheddar.

Munster championship (Sunday)

Tipperary v Waterford (Semple Stadium, 2.00)

Tipperary are fancied to win in their home grounds though Cheddar doesn’t buy into the narrative that the Premier county have solved all of their ills in the last week.

“I’d still have a lot of concerns about the whole Tipp back line. I though that in the end, Cork played into their strengths a little bit. There’s lads crowning Tipp All-Ireland  champions already, I didn’t see enough to think that…”

Cork v Limerick (Gaelic Grounds, 4.00)

Limerick are deserving favourites, but Cork have put it up to them in recent years and Wooly feels that the Rebels’ style may cause Limerick problems again.

“Cork’s system doesn’t suit Limerick. Limerick’s system is all about dropping off and covering space and if you give Cork players space, they’ll just ping, ping, ping and over the bar…I do think there’s a clash of styles that Limerick may not like…”

Leinster championship

Carlow v Kilkenny (Netwatch Cullen Park, 3.00)

Kilkenny are fancied but they won’t take the Carlow challenge lightly. They are a rapidly rising county and Cheddar Plunkett made a plea to the GAA on the hurling show.

“This is a development coming up through minor and under-21s…Isn’t now the time for somebody to say ‘let’s really get behind this and make sure it stays for 20 years.’ If it isn’t, it’s more than likely that it will just fly by, as a flash in the pan,’ he said.”

Dublin v Wexford (Parnell Park, 2.00)

“Parnell Park is a really difficult place for other teams to play and you would expect them to build on three quarters of last Saturday’s game and come out with a win here,” says Cheddar.

You can listen to this discussion and much more from Thursday’s GAA Hour Show right here.

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