This may or may not be a good time to be standing tall in the long grass. Three of the four teams through to the semi-finals of the Allianz National Hurling League – now confirmed for the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick on Easter Sunday, April 20th – had their championship cut short last summer by the end of July.

Only All-Ireland champions Clare, who will face Tipperary in the second semi-final (with a 4pm start) might have deemed the latter stages of this competition surplus to their requirements, but for the other three teams it represents an important transition into summer. Galway's meeting with defending league champions Kilkenny (2pm start) represents good timing for Galway manager Anthony Cunningham.

Lingering rivalry
The lingering rivalry between these teams from their 2012 All-Ireland showdowns is significant enough to ensure a game neither manager will want to use, and also affords Cunningham a chance to further detail the design of his championship line-up.

Sunday’s unfussy win over Limerick was notable for Joe Canning’s first appearance of the year, with 15 minutes remaining; Galway first used him in front of goal before calling him into a more central role, and it is still unclear where he would be best utilised come the summer.

Fellow All-Ireland winner with Portumna Damien Hayes also came off the bench, as did Kevin Hynes, while the return of Niall Burke and the performances of David Burke and Jonathan Glynn augur well.

“A lot of guys are looking for places, which is what you want,” noted Cunningham.