Former Antrim ace and BBC pundit Neil McManus previews Clare vs Kilkenny and Limerick vs Cork in this weekend's All-Ireland Hurling semi-finals.
The annual hurling carnival that is semi-final weekend is upon us with fans from all corners of the island set to descend on Ireland's capital city to see the four best teams of 2024 in action.The triumphant Cork side of 1999 will be presented at half-time, but who will join them? Limerick are chasing history with John Kiely's men two wins from completing their 'Drive for Five' and succeeding where Cork and Kilkenny fell short in the 1940s and 2000s.
Clare will feel they are well placed to avenge their 2022 and 2023 defeats. After losing the Munster final, they bounced back well against Wexford in the quarter-final, with Shane O'Donnell adding to his hurler of the year credentials.Kelly, of course, has been effectively man-marked by Kilkenny's tough-as-nails All-Star corner-back Mikey Butler.
The half-back line of David Blanchfield, Paddy Deegan and Richie Reid can all break forward to contribute on the scoreboard for the Cats. It will be intriguing to see if Mikey Carey's positioning allows Reid to sit in the pocket and protect the inside line. Donnelly has been Kilkenny's most consistent performer this season. Not only does he contribute significantly to the scoreboard, but his work rate makes him a fan favourite.
Despite that scalp, Cork face a daunting task. Limerick have only lost one championship game in Croke Park since 2016 . Which makes Cork's win two months ago all the more impressive. They fought like we have not seen this Cork team fight before. They matched the athleticism of Limerick all over the pitch and delivered in the clutch moments - referencing Patrick Horgan's last two plays on that evening will certify that!
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