The stretch in the evening is here, we are only a couple of weeks out from the clocks going forward and there's a feeling of getting back to daylight training sessions very soon.
I love this time of year, when you get home from school and head out for a few pucks with the natural light outside rather than the backyard sensor light on overdrive.
We have come to what is essentially a league semi-final this Saturday night at the TUS Gaelic Grounds between Limerick and Galway.
I was trying to weigh up who needs this or will want this victory more to secure a spot in the league final, most likely against Cork, who host already relegated Offaly.
The permutations are as follows: a draw will do for Limerick who are on eight points with a current positive score difference of +34; Galway must win which would take them onto eight points with a current score difference of +30 after their annihilation of Kilkenny.
A win would increase that and decrease Limerick’s score differential but if Tipp win you have three teams on eight points then and the score difference would come into play preceding the head-to-head so Galway need to win by at least three points to avoid any mishaps with the score difference tipping it in Limerick’s favour.
Confused? Don’t be, because I think there is one team that will get the job done and avoid any use of calculators to determine who will be in the league final on 5 April and that team is Limerick.
My reasoning is that Limerick have gone strong, very strong and the focus has been on a group of around 20 players in terms of considerable gametime in recent outings.
They are not playing Championship until 26 April against their good buddies from Cork, who hypothetically speaking could be fighting for their championship lives on Leeside if Tipp were to get the job done the week previous in Thurles.
The demand for tickets for that outing in the Páirc will be greater than a Late Late Toy Show with Santa himself hosting and everyone in the audience getting a Tesla full of Tayto sandwiches.
The lay-off from Saturday until then would be five weeks and whilst I am sure a training camp, potential challenge games and competitive in-house games will be pencilled in, there is nothing that compares to a competitive game in that window and a league final against Cork would be ideal preparation.
You may say 'sure, Galway will want the exact same thing’, yes they will but I just feel Limerick will want it more and will give a performance at home that shows this.
The competition in the Limerick squad is as strong as it has been in a few years.
The next generation have stepped up to the plate with big performances in recent games and the reliance on the old guard, who are not old at all but who have clocked up considerable mileage in their hurling lives, is not as much as it was in the past two years.
Players like Matthew Fitzgerald (above, r) will ask questions of the full-back line regulars like Sean Finn, Mike Casey and Barry Nash to say ‘if ye are not on it, I’m taking that jersey’.
By the way, I think Mike Casey is hurling the best stuff I have seen from him in a while and for me he is nailed on right now to start.
Further out, Adam English is now a guaranteed starter, it’s just a matter of where he plays.
Aidan O’Connor has been the player of the league so he will be keeping someone out of the regular starting line-up we have been accustomed to, as will Cathal O’Neill and the Bull O’Brien on the inside line.
So there’s a 50% change in their starting forwards from last year against Dublin as I think Cian Lynch will be midfield, and throw Peter Casey into that mix, too, and you can see why they are a force not to be messed with once again in 2026.
For all this internal competition I feel players know if they are not on it then they don’t play and some will get a chance this Saturday night to prove that they are good enough and if they don’t take it, the ruthless nature of top level sport is such that they may not get another one in 2026.
Harsh, but that’s the reality of it.
Galway really impressed me against the Cats, albeit it was the worst performance I have witnessed from a Kilkenny team with my own eyes.
I think there’s a big backlash coming at the weekend in Thurles from that team and management.
'From the get-go we were just flat...no excuses, to be honest' - disappointed Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng talks to #RTESport #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/XGtBJkaIrZ
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) March 7, 2026
That will be a very tasty affair also with no love lost.
But Galway used the ball well, they looked very comfortable with their structure, it seemed almost second nature the way they just interchanged in the forwards in particular with the player who was inside for the one v one.
Also the confidence with which they pinged the ball around and the way their new stars have stepped up in this league campaign, which didn’t really happen last year for Micheál Donoghue when he tried out the new-look project.
But they’re a year older, wiser, stronger and fitter and these guys look very comfortable hurling senior for their county now.
I am thrilled to be on RTÉ Radio duty for this Saturday night and with all the above mentioned with a chance to get into a league final and the ideal preparation that is for championship.
I just can't see why both teams would hold anything back for this clash, but I think that Limerick will want it more and that they will get the win and book that final spot.
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