Saturday
Munster SHC: Waterford v Limerick, Walsh Park, 6pm – Live GAA+
High stakes for both teams with Waterford completing their home schedule in the space of six days and Limerick looking for a first win in their second match. The problem for Peter Queally’s team is that they had every opportunity to prepare for last week’s well-merited coup against the All-Ireland champions. In the words of one local, “we had six months to prepare for Clare and now, six days for Limerick”.
Opinions vary on where Limerick are after a feisty show of defiance from Tipperary two weeks ago ended in a draw. Were they still labouring under their league form, or was it the familiar slow wind-up that so far had led to Munster titles and momentum in the All-Ireland series?
John Kiely makes two changes, bringing in decorated replacements Seán Finn and Dan Morrissey for Barry Murphy and Colin Coughlan, which suggests the former pair are ready to go having benched in Thurles. Kyles Hayes’s selection at centre back persists.
It may be that Will O’Donoghue’s history of exerting an iron grip on Jamie Barron at centrefield means the Na Piarsaigh man is thought too valuable to switch to centre back. Either way, Waterford will surely look carefully at optimising the role of Barron, who has been one of their best performers this season.
This is about weighing up Clare’s infirmities in the absence of Shane O’Donnell and Tony Kelly, despite which they had moved ominously on to Waterford‘s shoulder and Limerick’s room for improvement after a below-par opening display.
It’s a great opportunity for the home team, who looked lively and confident a week ago but equally, six days is a narrow window through which to fit another big display against a rested team.
Verdict: Limerick
Sunday
Munster SFC final: Kerry v Clare, Fitzgerald Stadium, 1.45pm – Live RTÉ2
When they met last year, Clare gave it a decent tussle in Ennis without quite threatening the outcome. This time, they’re in Killarney, but other circumstances favour the challengers. Kerry are missing nearly a third of the first team between injuries to Shane Ryan, Paul Murphy and Graham O’Sullivan and the suspension of Paudie Clifford, who has been outstanding as their attacking orchestrator this season.
Clare have welcomed back Eoin Cleary and Keelan Sexton this season, and from the semi-final win over Tipperary, Ikem Ugwuero and Daniel Walsh are returned from injury.
This is a third successive Munster football final for Clare, a sequence not achieved since 1917 when they reached their only All-Ireland to date. Managed by Peter Keane, who brought Kerry to within minutes of the Sam Maguire six years ago, they should be well acquainted with their opponents.
The primary problem, though, is that Cork gave the champions such a fright in the semi-final that Jack O’Connor’s team will surely be on high alert – plus they have Joe O’Connor playing great football at centrefield and up front, the peerless younger Clifford.
Verdict: Kerry
Connacht SFC final: Mayo v Galway, MacHale Park, 4pm – Live RTÉ2
Last year in Salthill, it required a controversial intervention by the referee to get Galway over the line against a Mayo team leading into injury time. As Connacht champions, Galway went on to reach the All-Ireland final, a match that, to their abiding anguish, they kicked away. Mayo fizzled out and didn’t reach the quarter-finals.
The respective trajectories indicate why the reaction to the week’s All-Ireland group draw has been so misplaced. When teams place such an emphasis on winning their province, like here and Ulster in a week, coming second is not a welcome prospect, regardless of what happens next.
In fact, for Mayo certainly, the show is over if they lose another provincial final, as the job of rebuilding morale will be overwhelming.
Galway’s huge favouritism is difficult to fathom. Connacht finals between the counties are nearly always toss-of-a-coin affairs unless there’s a big difference in the quality of the sides in any given period.
This season, Mayo reached the league final and lost to Kerry whereas Galway lost their last two matches to Dublin and Kerry. Championship performance has been a little better but a lot is riding on a comfortable win over Roscommon.
It is true that Mayo were deeply unimpressive against Sligo and Leitrim but they would have had then luxury of knowing that, barring a big setback, they would in all likelihood be contesting a final against Galway in their own back yard – not exactly a forbidding fortress but definitely a more comfortable venue for them.
The injury news also tilts to Mayo, who have Diarmuid O’Connor ready to return to play and Patrick Durcan back in the matchday squad for the first time after his cruciate injury.
The three-in-a-row champions, on the other hand, are missing both their marquee forwards: Shane Walsh and Damien Comer. Both are consistently plagued by injury, but it’s worth recalling that Galway wouldn’t have won last year without Comer.
He scored 0-2 from play, had one scoring assist and was fouled for four converted frees, as well as winning a critical ball at centrefield late in the game.
Galway have had other good performers so far, like Cein D‘Arcy who was exceptional in the air against Roscommon – an arena in which Mayo haven’t been thriving. Can Johnny McGrath continue to shut down Ryan O’Donoghue?
Mayo, however, will be ferocious in tracking and tackling and filled to the brim with a resentful determination to land a first title in four years.
Verdict: Mayo
