It’s the first weekend in June, the Leaving Cert is underway, the summer is young and after this Sunday just five championship hurling games will remain.
The rest have been microwaved away but is fearr an mhaith atá ná an dá mhaith a bhí so we’d better make the most of what’s left and there’s no better place than with two cracking games for very different reasons beginning in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
What’s the main thing to say about this game? What happens in the Munster final stays in the Munster final. What feels significant on Sunday evening will be ancient history by Monday morning.
We’ve two top teams chasing a prize in the game that still carries a weight – all of its own. It generates its own momentum, its own narratives, then it’s over. Last year proved that.
Cork beat Limerick on penalties and we all declared it the midpoint of a trilogy that would define the summer then Limerick got picked off, weeks later Cork got picked off. Both were sent into the land of transition, except today we know that neither was going anywhere.
Limerick refreshed, Cork continue to evolve and Ben O’Connor’s arrival, to his credit, has looked seamless.
All we can say for certain is that Monday morning both counties will still believe they’ve each other’s measure. One has a short turnaround, the other has more time on its hands.
If you’re searching for certainty, most of the evidence nudges you towards Limerick, home advantage nudges you towards Cork. Beyond that, you’re into instinct and guesswork.
That’s what makes Sunday worth waiting for, and the best thing the rest of us can do is allow ourselves to be carried along by it. Isn’t that what great sporting occasions are for?
Overnight, Cork named an unchanged starting 15 following the 16-point win over Clare. Declan Dalton misses out after the calf injury he sustained last weekend, but there was more encouraging news with captain Darragh Fitzgibbon returning to training following his recent appendix operation.
For Limerick, the last time these teams met, Cian Lynch didn’t finish, while Aaron Gillane and Dan Morrissey watched from the sidelines. This time, both are available. When margins are fine, those details matter.
We’ll shade it towards Limerick. Then comes the reset on Monday morning.
The Leinster final is a different kettle of fish. The GAA deserves credit for making 20,000 tickets available free of charge to Under-14s.
That such initiatives are required when Dublin and Galway are contesting a final is another testament to Croke Park’s neglect of hurling though.
Still, there’s plenty of intrigue here. The fact that Kilkenny have been banished from the championship before the end of May makes Leinster more interesting.
Aaron Gillane provides a headache for Cork they didn’t have to deal with last time
This final is full of opportunity; opportunity for Galway to continue their rebuild, and opportunity for Dublin to turn promise into silverware.
The Tribesmen have been punching below their weight for a few years now. Micheál Donoghue has introduced a clutch of young players this summer and they’ve generated plenty of buzz, if not certainty. Galway endured alarming first halves against Kildare and Wexford, and last weekend’s U20 defeat to Clare was a shot of realism.
Whatever the weaknesses of Kilkenny this summer, beating the Cats without ever looking truly threatened will have meant more to Dublin than Galway.
Dublin opened the championship by coughing up four goals to Offaly and looking every bit as loose as they did when conceding seven to Cork at the end of last year’s championship.
Dublin’s defence has tightened up since their opener against Offaly
However, since then, they’ve conceded just one goal in four games, and the defence looks cohesive and confident. The closing stages in Parnell Park will be remembered for the confidence of Dublin’s scoring.
Many signposts point towards Galway for this one, and not without reason.
Yet, if Dublin can find that same Parnell Park mindset tomorrow in Croke Park, we think a Leinster championship will be theirs.
Sin é a chairde, enjoy the hurling while it’s still with us. Like the sun, its days are few.
Dónal Óg Cusack was speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland
Watch a hurling final double-header, Carlow v Laois in the Joe McDonagh Cup (3.45pm) and Dublin v Galway in the Leinster Hurling Championship (6pm), on Saturday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch Cork v Limerick in the Munster Hurling Championship final on Sunday from 1.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1