GAA Hurling: Best bets for the All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals

Source: Alamy Stock Photo

The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship quarter-finals take centre stage this weekend and Enda McElhinney is on hand to run through his best bets.

Limerick will aim to banish memories of their Munster final loss against Cork when they tackle Dublin in Croke Park, while down in the Gaelic Grounds, an emerging Tipperary side square up to Galway.

Selections

Limerick -10 vs Dublin @ 10/11
Galway to beat Tipperary @ 2/1

Limerick firepower should topple Dubs

Croke Park stages a Dublin double-header on Saturday, with the hurlers facing Limerick at 16:00 before the footballers engage Cork for a place in the quarter-finals later in the evening.

Niall O’Ceallachain has made some solid inroads in his maiden season as Dublin bainisteoir, but the capital outfit do still appear well short of the standard needed to be All-Ireland contenders.

Kilkenny hit 5-19 when they met in Nowlan Park in the Leinster round robin and, despite much fanfare, the Dubs never looked like ousting Galway in what amounted to a provincial semi-final last month on their own patch in Parnell Park.

Limerick lost their way in the Munster final against Cork, efficiency letting them down as their scoring dropped off.

The Rebels brought fierce intensity to the Gaelic Grounds in that memorable tussle, and from what we have seen so far, Dublin won’t be capable of matching that level of animosity in Croke Park.

Aaron Gillane, Tom Morrissey, Adam English and company should find their range back in Croke Park, a home from home for Limerick in recent times, and their class should leave the Dubs cut adrift.

Galway to stifle emerging Tipp

The other quarter-final takes place in the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick, where Tipperary are favourites to account for Galway.

Liam Cahill’s side are progressing this season, no doubting that, but Tipp have been out of action for five weeks and will face a stern test in this Galway side.

It has to be recalled that prior to last month’s win over Waterford in Thurles, Tipp hadn’t managed successive Championship wins in six years.

Galway were overpowered at times by Kilkenny in the Leinster final but Micheál Donoghue’s outfit admirably made a contest of it in the second half against the run of play.

Tipp were convincing winners in Pearse Stadium in the Allianz League when these sides last met, but this will be a long way removed from that cold January afternoon.

Galway have recovered from a chastening loss against Kilkenny in their Leinster opener in April, impressing in the manner they took care of the Dubs in Parnell Park scoring 29 points.

Despite winning by seven in the end, things got nervy for Tipp in last month’s win over Waterford and while Cahill’s young side are starting to show promise, they could prove vulnerable now.