Handball's own version of the 'Super 8s’ serves off this weekend with eight quarter-finals in the O’Neill’s Men’s and Ladies Senior Singles championships down for decision.
Reigning champion Robbie McCarthy of Westmeath heads the field in the Men's grade while Cork's Catriona Casey, the holder, and Limerick's world champion Martina McMahon look to be on a collision course in the Ladies Senior Singles.
The tie of the round in the Men’s Senior Singles is undoubtedly the meeting of Clare's Colin Crehan and former champion Charly Shanks.
Uniquely among the top handful of players in the game, the duo had never met until this season when Armagh’s Shanks defeated the Clareman (15-11, 15-8) in the Breacach, Co Tyrone tournament just before Christmas.
That adds an extra layer of intrigue to this quarter-final, which serves off at 1pm on Saturday in St Coman’s, Roscommon. Both men were comfortable winners last time out (Shanks defeating Gavin Buggy 10, 14 and Crehan seeing off Rikki O’Gara 10, 10) and look primed for big performances.
Powerful former Clare underage hurler Crehan skipped the recent Irish Open, presumably to focus on the All-Irelands, while the word in Ulster is that Shanks, who has been competing at the business end of the Senior Championship for 16 seasons, has not prepared with his usual intensity.
This game could go either way. Both men possess a two-handed attacking artillery as powerful as any in the sport and are liable to get hot at any time. Shanks has the edge on experience, having played in six Senior Singles finals; Crehan is younger and maybe hungrier, too. It all points to a close encounter.
The second quarter-final in Roscommon pits former winner Martin Mulkerrins against Senior Doubles medallist Brian Carroll.
The Galwegian has been more active on the tournament circuit over the winter, where his results have been consistently excellent including winning his home tournament in Moycullen.
Meath’s Carroll has not played in the Senior Singles since 2017, when losing narrowly to Patrick Funchion in the round of 16, but is a former semi-finalist and finalist in the Irish Nationals and his speed and ambidextrous attack is greatly respected.
That said, based on recent form, Mulkerrins will be favoured to advance to his fifth semi-final in succession.
Meanwhile, in Culohill, Kilkenny’s Peter Funchion meets number two seed Diarmaid Nash of Clare. The Leinster man was in devastating form last weekend as he gave up just 23 points in total in sweeping aside Westmeath's Colm Jordan and number seven seed Ger Coonan of Tipperary.
The methodical Nash has firmly established himself among the elite, taking top spot in the John Gaffney Memorial in January, and will be determined to go one better than last year and 2014, when he lost the All-Ireland Senior Singles finals against Robbie McCarthy.
He has the edge on experience at the business end of the championship; this will be Funchion’s second quarter-final appearance while the Tuamgraney left-hander will be appearing in his seventh since making the breakthrough to the last eight in 2013.
The Banner man has also featured in three Senior Doubles finals, winning two. However, Funchion will be up for the challenge and the emphatic form of his opening two results suggests he will give the favourite plenty to think about in what should be an interesting clash of styles.
In Cappagh, Co Limerick, champion Robbie McCarthy takes on Kerry veteran Dominick Lynch. The 43-year-old Glenbeigh man starts as a huge underdog but his form has also been superb, as he rolled back the years to topple Patrick Funchion last weekend in a two-hour slugfest.
"I am kind of punching above my weight against Robbie and the top boys, I’m not going in thinking I will beat him but at the same time, I’m not going to be afraid of him either," said Lynch.
McCarthy has been irresistible of late and anything other than a win for the Mullingar man would be regarded as a monumental upset.
In the ladies Senior Singles, the big guns make their bow.
The state of play in the 2020 @ONeills1918 All-Ireland Ladies 4-Wall Singles Championship.
— GAA Handball Ireland (@GAA_Handball) February 24, 2020
Two games down for decision midweek ahead of Saturday's QF'S.#ShesAce #CantSeeCantBe pic.twitter.com/w5YB2wmL3Q
Holder Catriona Casey of Cork and Limerick left-hander Martina McMahon, the world champion, have been a class apart over the past three seasons, carving up all of the Majors between them.
Casey meets Aoife McCarthy, sister of Robbie, while McMahon takes on last year’s intermediate winner, rising Armagh star Megan McCann.
Elsewhere, former winner Aisling Reilly, fresh from her final appearance in the recent Irish Nationals in Co Mayo, is pitted against Tipperary youngster Sinead Meagher, the 2018 junior champion who earned her place in the last eight for the first time with a win over Clare’s Doireann Murphy in mid-week.
Finally, Roscommon’s Fiona Tully – who reached the final of the USHA Collegiates in Minnesota last week – seeks to reach her third Senior Singles semi-final in four years when she meets promising Kildare teenager Mollie Dagg.
Fixtures
O’Neill’s All-Ireland 4-Wall Senior Singles quarter-finals
Saturday February 29, all games 1pm
Cappagh, Co Limerick, 1pm
Westmeath (Robbie McCarthy) v Kerry (Dominick Lynch)
St. Coman’s, Roscommon, 1pm
Armagh (Charly Shanks) v Clare (Colin Crehan)
Galway (Martin Mulkerrins) v Meath (Brian Carroll)
Cullihill, Co Laois, 1pm
Kilkenny (Peter Funchion) v Clare (Diarmaid Nash)
