Hurling nation: Dónal Óg Cusack's quarter-final predictions

Fadó fadó, a meeting of Galway and Tipperary in the championship had the country talking hurling all week long.

Whether it was Gerry McInerney's white boots, Tony Keady’s suspension or Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh’s Rabbitte chasing a Fox, the Tribesmen and the Premier were top of the bill any day they met.

In modern times, we had the excitement of Joe Canning’s magical score in 2017. Who remembers Padraic Maher’s flying hurley failing to stop Shane Moloney’s winner in 2015 amid torrential excitement at Croke Park?

Those games and the other championship meeting of the period were all settled by a single point and it looked like Tipp and Galway were entering a new era with old fire still burning.

The last time they met in championship was late in November in the year of Covid, 2020, in an empty stadium. Galway won by two points but perhaps that bleak day has erased the memory of a lot that went before.

Tomorrow night’s game is in a discreet Saturday teatime slot, sharing the afternoon with football preliminary quarter-finals. Galway and Tipperary play as the top half of a double-header, which opens with Clare playing Dublin.

Not just for the history it carries but for the intrigue of this game alone, Galway and Tipp deserve better. No-one with hurling’s interest at heart could justify why this hasn’t been hyped up into a prime-time Sunday spot.

We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage PreferencesAnyway, where do they stand? The era of Limerick bossing hurling began in 2018 when Galway, as reigning champions, gave up their crown in the