In Leinster there are three games to be decided, no blockbusters, but each important in terms of where hurling stands now.
The weaker provincial championship has become the 'Rest of Ireland' championship, and as a competition, is labouring.
Dublin travel to Wexford amárach. This should be a big game. It has a knockout quality and both sides desperately need a win, but there will be little interest outside the two counties involved.
Dublin have won just one Leinster titles in 64 years, a fact that raises questions for the GAA and the Dublin County Board. At some stage, the conversation from both has to move beyond potential because the resources and playing population are clearly there.
Wexford are perhaps in as challenging a place as anyone, with just two Leinster titles this century. It’s interesting now to look back at their glory year of 1996. There were still Connacht and Ulster senior hurling championships. Antrim beat Down by a handful of points in Ulster, while in Leinster, there were eight counties at the starting gate, Carlow, Westmeath, Meath and Laois alongside the traditional powers.
Offaly, who would win a brilliant All-Ireland two years later, only beat Meath by six points that summer. If the GAA were serious about hurling, they would have targeted growth in those so-called second tier counties and acted before Connacht and Ulster faded away.
Hurling has collapsed into one serious provincial championship, and the Rest of Ireland competition, with no Ulster county involved and a Kilkenny side chasing seven provincial titles in a row. Yet the GAA continues to send people off on goose chases, debating side issues like hand-pass rules while the big structural issues in the game deepen and remain untouched. Dúisigh (wake up!).
If there is a winner between Wexford and Dublin, the loser will face the prospect of having no serious inter-county hurling until next year. The sides drew in the league, but Dublin appear to have edged forward a bit more since then. The Dubs to win.
In Newbridge, Kildare say hello to Galway. For the sake of hurling, the GAA cannot afford to let a county like Kildare drift back out of Leinster. The Lilywhites won’t beat Galway, the learning curve in year one out of the Joe McDonagh is too steep, but this is a good hurling team.
Offaly host Kilkenny on Sunday. For Kilkenny, this is about backing up the Wexford performance, and while Tullamore could prove tricky, we still expect them to come through.
In Munster, Cork travel to Waterford. The delicate eco-system of the Munster championship still the GAA’s best competition would benefit with Waterford rising again. The signs from the Déise are improving.
They are unlikely to beat Cork, but they will test the depth of Cork’s defensive pool and a draw would not shock.
Meanwhile, there is a big Joe McDonagh Cup clash as the only unbeaten sides left, Carlow and Down, meet on the peninsula, with Carlow looking slight favourites.
Dónal Óg Cusack was speaking on Morning Ireland.
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