The safety nets no longer exist in the Galway Senior Championship from this point on, with every team that takes to the field fully aware that their season rests on the outcome of this game.
Gone already is the dry weather, which will benefit some teams and test others more than what has come before. But, as we saw with the football last weekend, entertainment is not dependent on warm weather and good underfoot conditions.
The winners of this weekend’s preliminary quarter-finals will face one of St Thomas’, Craughwell, Clarinbridge, or Oranmore/Maree, who are enjoying the comforts of a month off after qualifying directly for the quarter-finals by topping their groups.
Athenry v Tommy Larkins
Sunday – Duggan Park @ 1pm
With some sharper execution in front of the posts, Athenry could very well have toppled St Thomas’ to top their group. Larkins, meanwhile, finished with a priceless victory over an already-qualified Oranmore/Maree to sneak into the knockouts.
Both sides are reliant on marquee attackers Jason Rabbitte and Jason Flynn. Whichever defence succeeds in shutting down the opposition’s key man will have taken a huge step towards the last eight.
This is Athenry’s first top-tier knockout game in six years. Coincidentally, they also faced Larkins on that occasion and ran their opponents much closer than the 1-19 to 0-15 scoreline suggested.
The Woodford/Ballinakill men have reached the last eight in three of the last four campaigns, but this year Athenry appear to be in a stronger position and look nicely poised to take the next step. Still, Tommy Larkins have amassed huge experience at this stage in comparison to their rivals, and that can count for a lot.
Prediction: Athenry
Turloughmore v Killimordaly
Sunday – Kenny Park @ 2.15pm
How Turloughmore have bounced back from their hammering by Clarinbridge deserves enormous credit to the squad and management. The wheels could easily have come off entirely.
Instead, they made the necessary alterations - namely, moving Daithí Burke back to number six - and they are back on track, remaining one of the favourites to claim the Tom Callanan Cup.
Given how Killimordaly’s season was shaping up, this can be considered bonus territory. They are in the preliminary quarter-finals thanks purely to a one-point win over Kilconieron. Still, they know they can perform much better than their group stage showings have suggested.
Killimordaly were on the receiving end of a 15-point defeat at the hands of Cappataggle at this juncture 12 months ago, while 14-man Turloughmore bowed out in the quarter-finals to St Thomas’.
It is hard to see Killimordaly having enough to shut down all of Turloughmore’s threats, and almost every metric points towards a Turloughmore win. But an underdog Killimordaly side can still prove dangerous - especially if a player of Brian Concannon’s quality keeps them in the contest.
Prediction: Turloughmore
Loughrea v Moycullen
Sunday – Pearse Stadium @ 3pm
Moycullen defied pre-match predictions to overcome Gort in their final group game, securing a knockout berth while avoiding the dreaded relegation battle. Like Killimordaly, given their earlier struggles, this feels like a free hit.
Whether they will be on the receiving end of a Loughrea backlash remains to be seen. The champions were very disappointing in their loss to group winners Craughwell, and their woes were compounded further when star man Anthony Burns saw red.
Someone like Cian Folan could cause problems for Loughrea’s defence, and if the absent Fionn McDonagh were available, Moycullen could ask plenty of questions of a team whose confidence must have taken a hit.
Nevertheless, it would be unwise not to expect a response from Tommy Kelly’s side. Especially if talisman Jamie Ryan, who watched their final group defeat from the stands, returns to action. That setback may have been exactly what the team needed to refocus for their title defence.
Prediction: Loughrea
Sarsfields v Castlegar
Sunday – Kenny Park @ 4pm
The TG4 television cameras will be in Athenry for this one as two of Galway’s most storied clubs go head-to-head.
Sarsfields arrive in strong form after successive victories over Tommy Larkins and Cappataggle, with their only blemish being a narrow one-point defeat to Oranmore/Maree. They can take huge encouragement from how they coped with the absences of key figures like Darren Morrissey, Paddy Mac Carthaigh, and Alex Connaire in dismantling neighbours Cappataggle.
Castlegar, after they overcame Ardrahan in the opening round, they always looked destined for knockout hurling. They were poor against Turloughmore thereafter but showed marked improvement in asking serious questions of high-flying Clarinbridge.
Both sides reached the quarter-finals last season, and it was there that Castlegar gave eventual champions Loughrea a real scare. They will need to reach that level again to win this one. Otherwise, you would have to favour Sarsfields.
Prediction: Sarsfields
