It's the last chance saloon for four counties in this year's hurling championship. Semple Stadium is the venue where the drama will be played before expected crowds on Saturday evening. With the Munster final coming up at the same venue a day later, the hope is that Tom Semple's field will provide a backdrop that will finally see the small-ball game take flight this summer.
First up in Thurles is the meeting of Dublin and Limerick at 5pm. Both sides haven't exactly set the world alight so far this summer. The Dubs were more impressive in getting over Laois than Limerick were in beating a resolute Westmeath in the previous round. As for either side having a say at the business end of the championship, RTÉ analyst Tom Dempsey issues a rather frank assessment: "To be quite honest with you, I'm not sure whether these two will have a say ultimately in the race for Liam MacCarthy."
Assessing the form of both sides, Dempsey added: "I thought Dublin's performance against Cork in the league semi-final was one of the best performances of the year. They simply threw that game away.
"Yet, for some reason Dublin haven't ignited the championship so far. They've readjusted their team considerably, with Conal Keaney now in the forwards and Liam Rushe at centre-back. They are, however, very dependent on Mark Schutte up front. They really need some of the other forwards to come up with scores."
And what of Limerick?
"Something doesn't fit at the moment," revealed the Wexford All-Ireland winner.
"They were so impressive last year and probably were the second best team or close to it. In this championship, they've shipped a heavy loss to Tipperary and were far from impressive against Westmeath in a match where Seamus Hickey was dropped. They just don't seem to be going as smoothly as last year."
Dempsey goes with Ger Cunningham's side to advance. "Something is telling me that Dublin are going slightly better at the moment and I'm tipping them to get through in a tight encounter."
Previous meetings: Dublin and Limerick have met just six times previously in the championship, the last coming in 2011 when Dublin won an All-Ireland quarter-final tie by 3-13 to 0-18. Limerick won all
five previous clashes.
An engrossing hurling rivalry between Clare and Cork has emerged ever since their league play-off clash in 2013. It reached a fever pitch when the sides met in that year's All-Ireland hurling final and subsequent replay. Clare were the victors amid jubilant scenes as dusk fell on that September Saturday.
The next chapter throws-in at 7pm on Saturday evening. Dempsey believes the Banner can rediscover the zest that took them so far two years ago.
"Clare are a team that I really believe can challenge again," he said. "I think there's something up Davy Fitz's sleeve. They have Colm Galvin back though I'm led to believe he won't start on Sunday. He is a superb hurler. They have a very potent full-forward line and If they can get over Cork, they'll give teams problems, especially on the open confines of Croke Park."
Despite a lack of underage talent coming through, Dempsey has praised the job Jimmy Barry-Murphy has done in his second coming as Cork manager.
"I was hearing talk last Saturday evening that Jimmy Barry-Murphy could be gone if they didn't beat Wexford. I think that's totally unfair. Without the conveyor belt of talent, Jimmy-Barry has done a good job; he's won a Munster title, got to a league final and was within seconds of winning an All-Ireland.
"Cork showed flashes of excellence, particularly in the first half, against Wexford. Their second half showing is a cause for concern, however, and you also have to take into account that Wexford didn't test their full-back line."
Our analyst believes that Clare have the weaponry to really test the Rebels rearguard and that they will go on to win the game.
"This could be a game that could turn Clare's season and turn it in a very positive way. They have the firepower to get over Cork and make a really big statement," Dempsey said in conclusion.
Previous meetings
Cork and Clare meet for the fifth time in the championship in two years, with Cork having won two to Clare’s one, while there was one draw, from the previous four clashes.
The last competitive clash between the counties was in the Allianz League in Páirc uí Rinn in February when Cork won by 1-24 to 0-17. Patrick Horgan scored 0-14 (0-9 frees, 0-1 ‘65’) for Cork while Colin Ryan hit 0-08 (0-5 frees, 0-2 ‘65s) for Clare.
