Seven provincial final places and one All-Ireland semi-final spot are on the line in a huge weekend of club action.
The winners of tomorrow’s Galway final, featuring Loughrea and St. Thomas, the reigning county champions, will go straight into the All-Ireland semi-finals.
Meanwhile, for Ballygunner to get to the same stage they’ll have had to defeat Kilruane McDonaghs (Tipperary), 2016 All-Ireland champions Na Piarsaigh (Limerick) and either Ballyea (Clare) or St. Finbarr’s (Cork).
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Counties in Munster in particular would be within their rights to cry foul at such a lopsided system.
But the danger with that is that Galway could then be landed in on top of them.
It would hardly be fair on Munster counties to dump another big gun of the game into their territory.
Leinster, as with the inter-county game, would be a more natural home.
But a series of heavy defeats at inter-county level since Galway entered the province back in 2009 appears to have left Laois, Carlow, Westmeath and Offaly wary of opening the door to the Tribe again.
Many Leinster counties - the less successful ones in particular - have and will continue to fight tooth and nail, as they’ve done at minor level, to prevent Galway invading their patch.
The hopes of provincial club success for Leinster’s lesser lights over the past decade and a half have tended to live and die by whether Ballyhale Shamrocks are in the full of their health and can get out of Kilkenny.
That’s not a reflection on them necessarily, more the reality of how good the Shamrocks have been for so long.
They’d hardly want to double their already slim odds of provincial club success by allowing the likes of St. Thomas into the province.
It’s the same lopsided system that used to exist at inter-county level until it changed back in 2009 with Galway feeling a lack of games was an issue in their failure to win an All-Ireland title since 1988.
But with Galway clubs competing hard at All-Ireland level, and the county able to structure their club championship as they please, they’re not crying out for change here.
And the GAA being the GAA, where the inherently unfair provincial system corrupts everything, the issue is unlikely to be addressed until someone makes a big deal of it.
But who might that be? Galway, Leinster, Croke Park or the other counties? Don’t hold your breath on this one.
Galway’s minors applied to join Leinster in 2016 and were turned down, while they recently applied again to join Leinster or Munster in 2023.
Even with 11 All-Ireland minor titles in the past 24 seasons, Galway clearly feel there is a developmental issue that follows through to senior level with their current minor circumstances.
This year they entered the minor Championship as part of a three team All-Ireland quarter-final round robin alongside Clare and Laois, with two sides going on.
They got three minor championship games, while All-Ireland finalists Tipperary (6) and Offaly (7) played at least double the amount of games.
Galway will, naturally, do whatever suits them, and their clubs aren’t exactly crying out for change here.
They’re claimed 12 of the last 30 All-Ireland club titles with six different winners - Kiltormer (1992), Sarsfields (1993/94), Athenry (1997, 2000 and 2001), Portumna (2006, ‘08, ‘09 and ‘14) Clarinbridge (2011) and St. Thomas (2013).
Their last winner was Portumna back in 2014, but St. Thomas came agonisingly close to defeating Ballyhale Shamrocks in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final.
Topple Loughrea tomorrow, and they’ll face the Ulster champions in the All-Ireland semi-final.
The argument could be made that with just three teams in Ulster, why not throw Galway in there?
But there is little enough incentive and prestige to play hurling in Ulster already without seriously diminishing the chances of provincial success and the one realistic chance of taking down a big gun at All-Ireland level.
It’s the same argument Laois, Carlow, Offaly, Westmeath and even Dublin might make about Gawlay entering the Leinster club championship.
Meanwhile, Munster sides continue to knock lumps out of each other with reigning All-Ireland champions, Ballygunner facing Na Piarsaigh tomorrow in the most eagerly awaited club hurling game to date this year.
Adrian Breen hit 2-3 from play and Peter Casey shot over 0-7 from play as Na Piarsaigh demolished Kilmallock in the Limerick County final.
Ballygunner romped to a ninth Waterford title in a row and did a number on Kilruane MacDonaghs last time out.
They appear to have unearthed a new star in Patrick Fitzgerald to add to their firepower.
Fitzgerald was named on the Electric Ireland Minor Hurling Team of the Year in 2021.
But there’s something different about teams with All-Ireland titles under their belts, as Na Piarsaigh have.
A sense that if they get their act together they’ll take a bit of stopping.
You could argue that the earthquake for the Limerick tidal wave was Na Piarsaigh’s 2016 All-Ireland triumph.
It was a first national senior title at club level for Limerick, and a first for the county since the 1973 Liam MacCarthy win.
Na Piarsaigh also lost the 2018 All-Ireland final to Cuala after a replay.
They will feel that it was very much the one that got away after they conceded a last gasp goal in the drawn game at Croke Park.
In the other Munster semi-final, Tony Kelly’s Ballyea will look to make a second provincial decider after winning the 2016 title and making the All-Ireland final.
The Clare men go up against Cork big gun St. Finbarr’s, who won All-Ireland club titles in 1975 and 1978 and hold four Munster titles, the last one coming in 1980.
And the final hurling tie of the weekend sees Slaughtneil bid to defend their Ulster title when they face Down champions Portaferry at Corrigan Park, Belfast.
Antrim’s Dunloy await the winners in the final.
THIS WEEKEND’S GAA FIXTURES
TODAY
Connacht Club SFC Semi-final
Tourlestrane (Sligo) v St Mary's Kiltoghert (Leitrim), Avant Money Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, 1.30pm
Leinster Club SFC Semi-finals
The Downs (Westmeath) v Ratoath (Meath), Croke Park, 5.15pm - RTE2
Portarlington (Laois) v Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin), Croke Park, 7pm - RTE2
TOMORROW
Connacht Club SFC Semi-final
Moycullen (Galway) v Strokestown (Roscommon), Tuam Stadium, 1.30pm
Munster SHC Semi-finals
Ballyea (Clare) v St Finbarr's (Cork), Cusack Park, 1.15pm - TG4
Na Piarsaigh (Limerick) v Ballygunner (Waterford), TUS Gaelic Grounds, 3.15pm - TG4
Ulster Club SHC Semi-final
Portaferry (Down) v Slaughtneil (Derry), Corrigan Park, 1.30pm
Galway SHC Final
Loughrea v St Thomas', Pearse Stadium, 1.30pm
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