Saturday
Leinster SHC round 3
Dublin v Wexford, Croke Park, 5pm (Live, GAAGO) — The weekend’s most vital match will function as an effective All-Ireland eliminator and both counties will have been targeting this fixture since the start. Wexford manager Darragh Egan made the point that if his team are to have any chance of reaching the final they have to win their remaining matches, this and Kilkenny.
It’s a challenge for the visitors, who with Kilkenny are the only county to have qualified from the round robin every year, but they are getting back their injured players with Lee Chin, Liam Ryan and Damien Reck all named to start. Chin’s return for the Antrim match was crucial and his leadership will again be a factor.
Micheál Donoghue’s side opted for Croke Park because it better suits their strengths — running at pace — and if they get the run of the ball they stand a good chance of getting something out of their forwards.
Dónal Burke hasn’t been at his best even though he has taken critical scores and any movement back towards form could ignite the team, which has been slow to settle in the matches to date.
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There’s not much between the teams viewed through the prism of the Antrim matches even if Wexford got the win at home and Dublin drew away.
Wexford are steadier though and getting better with returning players whereas Dublin are more of a development project. It promises to be tightly contested but the suspicion is that Wexford will see it out. Verdict: Wexford
Westmeath v Galway, TEG Cusack Park, 6pm (Live GAAGO) — It’s been a tough old campaign for Westmeath, given the scale of Joe Fortune’s injury issues. Having started impressively last week, they eventually got overhauled by Dublin and lost heavily by the end. Little respite is on offer here. Galway responded well to save the point in Kilkenny but their display up until the late recovery was disappointing. Henry Shefflin did run out a couple of fresh faces and one, Liam Collins, is named to start. Verdict: Galway
Munster SHC round 3
Cork v Tipperary, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 7pm (Live GAAGO) — A curious feature of this fixture during the years of the round-robin format is that neither county has won it on home ground. Tipperary’s haplessness last year was fully exploited by Cork despite a fast start. This year looks different for both sides and each has won their only match to date, showcasing elements of their game that they hope will be an asset in what is looking like a ferociously tight championship.
Tipp have shown the signs of a Liam Cahill project and have been scoring freely — Jason Forde and Jake Morris to the fore — although interestingly, one of their best displays, the defeat by Limerick in the league semi-final was goalless.
Cork hit the ground running and if Waterford weren’t the most reliable gauge, it was a confident, dynamic start with their experienced forwards having a productive afternoon.
The weather could spoil this but the leaning is towards Tipperary, who have successfully regained altitude under Cahill. Verdict: Tipperary
Sunday
Leinster SHC round 3
Antrim v Kilkenny, Corrigan Park, 1pm (Live GAAGO) — Antrim have established credentials for a decent run in the Leinster championship in the coming years with the competitiveness of their performances in the first two matches. This is a step up although the home venue will be an encouragement. Kilkenny will regret last week’s lost point but there were good performances around the field and they should weather this. Verdict: Kilkenny
