1. Offaly v's Waterford
O'Connor Park, Tullamore
Throw In: Saturday 7pm
These two counties have only met twice in all the years of the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and both of these have been since the advent of the Qualifiers. Although the Deise won both of those encounters they no longer seem to carry the menace of that team of the noughties and their second half fade out in their previous outing against Clare has left many people doubting their ability to sustain a meaningful challenge in this years championship. Manager Michael Ryan is confident that his troops can however rectify matters and that confidence in the camp is high for this encounter. Although Offaly were beaten in the end by Kilkenny in their Leinster
quarter-final, Ollie Baker and his players will take plenty from the
game given they rattled the All-Ireland champions in the first half before succumbing to the power of the Cats in the second. Their gameplan worked
very well with their tactic of bombarding the Kilkenny full-back line with
direct balls yielding four goals. However, on the basis that there is another kick in this Waterford team, take them to just shade this tight encounter.
Verdict: Waterford
2. Donegal v's Down
Kingspan Breffni Park
Throw In: Sunday 2pm
When Donegal emphatically defeated Down in lasts years Ulster Final on a scoreline of 2-18 to 0-13 they announced themselves as genuine All Ireland contenders. Their combination of defensive strength and counter attacking in waves left a lasting impression. The absence of the talismanic Karl Lacey and midfielder Neil Gallagher will have an effect on how the Donegal machine functions but they seem to have the back up to cope as they showed in their victory over Tyrone. For Down, manager James McCartan has been able to name an unchanged side from their impressive quarter final victory over Derry. Still shorn of the talented Dan Gordon and Danny Hughes through injury, they have coped admirably in their absence but to compete with Donegal it is
hard to overstate how difficult it is for a county like Down in its current position to have to cope for
so long without a duo as talented and influential as them. With Jim McGuinness and his men striving for a third Ulster title in a row it is hard to see the Mourne men stopping them in their tracks on this occasion.
Verdict: Donegal
3. Dublin v's Kilkenny
Portlaoise
Thrown In: Sunday 3.50pm
When these teams go head to head on Sunday, it will be
exactly one year to the day since they met in last year's Leinster
Hurling Championship semi-final. Big things were
expected of Anthony Daly's side before that game but they were
utterly routed by the Cats on the day, who ran out 2-21 to 0-9 winners. They have been trying to recover from this defeat ever since. Kilkenny's appetite for success continues unabated as they showed in their league final victory over Tipperary and the return to fitness of key midfielder Michael Fennelly is a major boost. Daly will hope that Dublin's replay victory over Wexford will make a genuine difference to the competitiveness of his team in this encounter. Dublin's year has already been a success with promotion back to Division 1A of the league but this would seem a step too far and the Cats should advance to another tantalising Leinster Final against last years foes Galway.
Verdict: Kilkenny
Pods-itivity Treble: 2/1
Other mentions:
Wexford to erase disappointment of replay loss to Dublin with victory over Antrim in Wexford Park despite the best efforts of Antrim sharpshooter Neil McManus. Westmeath to get the better of the ex pats London in this Ruislip encounter. London's fairytale Connacht championship voyage to come to a halt by an Emelyn Mulligan inspired Leitrim in the Connacht Football Championship. Jimmy Barry Murphy's Cork to put injury setbacks aside and put the shackles on Tony Kelly to down Clare
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