Another year, another Limerick-Galway All-Ireland semi-final.
The recent rivals meet at this stage for the third time in four seasons at Croke Park tonight.
The last two semis were both dogged battles that ended in three-point wins for Limerick, who went on to lift Liam MacCarthy.
They might be better off not heeding Johnny Logan's fatalistic advice but the question today is whether Galway can finally live up to their unofficial title of 'team best equipped to beat Limerick'?
In 2020, the Tribesmen were level in injury -time despite Joe Canning having been stretchered off after cutting four sideline balls over the bar.
Last year, in Henry Shefflin’s first campaign, it was a draw game after 66 minutes but David Reidy settled the contest.
This summer, Galway have been capable of the sublime and the ridiculous, often within the same match.
They were 12 points down against Dublin but fought back and their opponents needed a late free to draw.
Eight behind against Kilkenny but recovered to put one hand on the Bob O'Keeffe Cup they haven’t won since 2018 until gifting Cillian Buckley that late goal.
In the quarter-final, they dominated Tipperary physically and tactically for most of the game but still contrived to turn an eight-point advantage into a nervy two-point win.
Victory today requires a start-to-finish performance from the men in maroon that we have yet to witness this year.
Who's dancing their last dance? Live coverage of Limerick v Galway (6pm Saturday) on @rte2 and @rteplayer, with live commentary on @rteradio1 pic.twitter.com/jOywIfadoa
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Limerick may have drawn with Tipp in Munster but Galway won’t get many (any?) scores like they did in the fifth minute against the Premier, when Cathal Mannion took a handpass and soloed 25m unopposed before flicking to Ronan Glennon, who drove it over the bar from the 65 mark on the left sideline, with no opponent within about 20 metres of him. That will not happen on Will O'Donoghue and Darragh O'Donovan’s watch.
The Green Machine also won’t hit aimless ball in for Mannion to lavish on his team-mates like Tipperary did, which begs the question whether Shefflin will repeat the tactic of using the Ahascragh-Fohenagh man as a sweeper. It didn’t work last year as Aaron Gillane filled his boots early on regardless and Galway only got into the game when Mannion was released further up the pitch.
That freak goal for John McGrath (a 10th concession in six games) and an Alan Tynan chance aside, Galway’s defenders were firmly on top against Tipp, keeping their three starting full-forwards scoreless after conceding four majors to the Cats.
Gillane is a different level of threat but whether Dáithi Burke actually lines out at 3 will be interesting, given his effectiveness going forward from centre-back, as demonstrated when he started the move that resulted in a Galway point just after they had conceded the McGrath goal.
A perfect start to the half for Galway as Conor Whelan rattles home a goal
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Conor Whelan is having the championship of his life: he took his total to 7-15 from play while roasting Cathal Barrett, one of the best defenders in the game. Kevin Cooney, Brian Concannon and Evan Niland have all also shared the scoring burden. Cianan Fahy and Seán Linnane have seized their opportunities.
Niland will want a few more free opportunities from referee James Owens than Clare got from Liam Gordon but the big concern for Shefflin is wastefulness – they hit 18 wides against Tipperary and the same number against Limerick last year. Clare’s lack of accuracy against the Treaty is what cost them a Munster title.
It is true that Limerick have not been at their imperious best this year: a first championship defeat since 2019 at the hands of Clare, a draw against Tipp and too-close-for-comfort wins over Waterford and Cork.
But they still did enough to reach, and win, the Munster final and the four-in-a-row remains firmly on track. Particularly, after a month to recover from a bruising provincial campaign.
On-field general Declan Hannon misses his first championship game in four years (knee) and is a huge loss, as big as Seán Finn.
But though Limerick, who have conceded just three goals in five games, might be slightly more open through the middle with the more offensively minded Kyle Hayes at centre-back, there is huge counter-attacking potential for Hayes to combine with the repositioned Gearóid Hegarty outside him. Diarmaid Byrnes will be the shortest of the line at 6'1 so they might be handy at the puckouts too.
That's assuming the three-time All-Star forward actually plays there, of course, rather than Richie English or Colin Coughlan coming in. But in a season when Hegarty hasn’t really fired up front, it seems a gamble worth taking by John Kiely.
Cian Lynch is named at 10 and if he is finally free of the hamstring problem that has ensured a second successive injury-disrupted season then Galway could be in trouble. And even if they can restrict the space for Gillane, Seamus Flanagan has already scored four goals while Tom Morrissey (0-15), Peter Casey and Reidy can pick off the points. Cathal O’Neill (1-09) is almost guaranteed to make an impact off the bench.
As is Tom Monaghan, whose three points against Tipperary got Galway over the line. Could Conor Cooney rediscover his form in a cameo on the big stage?
For Galway to win, you suspect they would need to build a lead and hold on. One of the defining characteristics of this great Limerick team is composure and if it is tight down the finishing stretch then a place in a fifth All-Ireland final in six years surely beckons.
What’s another year? Whoever loses will tell you.
Limerick: Nickie Quaid; Mike Casey, Dan Morrissey, Barry Nash; Diarmaid Byrnes, Kyle Hayes, Gearóid Hegarty; Darragh O'Donovan, William O'Donoghue; David Reidy, Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey; Aaron Gillane, Séamus Flanagan, Peter Casey.
Subs: David McCarthy, Conor Boylan, Ronan Connolly, Aaron Costelloe, Colin Coughlan, Adam English, Richie English, Graeme Mulcahy, Barry Murphy, Cathal O'Neill, Oisín O'Reilly.
Galway: Éanna Murphy; Jack Grealish, Daithí Burke, Darren Morrissey; Pádraic Mannion, Gearóid McInerney, Joseph Cooney; Seán Linnane, Cathal Mannion; Ronan Glennon, Cianan Fahy, Kevin Cooney; Conor Whelan, Brian Concannon, Evan Niland.
Subs: Darach Fahy, TJ Brennan, Fintan Burke, Adrian Tuohey, Liam Collins, Tiernan Killeen, Tom Monaghan, Conor Cooney, Declan McLoughlin, Gavin Lee, Jarlath Mannion.
Ref: James Owens (Wexford)
Watch the All-Ireland Hurling Championship semi-finals, Limerick v Galway (Saturday at 6pm) and Clare v Kilkenny (Sunday at 4pm) this weekend on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport or listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch highlights on The Sunday Game, RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, 9.30pm
