One of the most anticipated sporting fixtures of the Summer is on the cards on Sunday next (4pm) when holders Limerick are up against Cork in the semi-final of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship at Croke Park.
The blockbuster contest is expected to attract a near-capacity attendance of 80,000.
It was at this stage back in 2018 that the counties served up a cracker, with John Kiely’s side only coming through after extra-time en route to a first outright competition triumph in 45 years with a subsequent defeat of Galway.
Limerick have been the dominant force ever since, and now seek to move a step forward towards the ‘Drive for Five.’
In the run-up to the weekend, All-Ireland winning captain Declan Hannon was wholesome in his praise of Cork, a team who narrowly beat Limerick in the round-robin stages of the Munster Championship in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
“Cork are probably the form team at the minute, they’ve won four on the bounce which is not an easy thing to do. We’ll need a lot of things to go right for us to get over the line.
“I’ve always rated Cork as one of the top, top teams in the country.
“Every time we play them it’s such a fast-paced game. Their skill levels are through the roof. Their work rate and intensity is savage.”
Hannon continued: “I think there was only a point in it last year. If Cork maybe came through, we were gone. So there’s very little between any of the teams, to be honest, in the latter stages of the championship. I’m looking forward to another belter of a game. It’ll be great to be involved in it.”