To think there was once a time when Conor Hayes was unable to make this Tralee CBS team.

Playing into the teeth of a gale in the second period, Tralee CBS looked in right trouble of suffering a third Corn Uí Mhuirí final defeat in four years

John Fogarty previews the weekend's GAA fixtures.

Tralee CBS had to withstand a tremendous PS Sliabh Luachra fightback which saw this cracking Corn Uí Mhuirí semi-final require extra-time.

The eagerly awaited meeting of Tralee CBS and Hamilton High School Bandon in the quarter-final of Corn Uí Mhuirí turned into a damp squib as the Green overpowered the Hammies to emerge 18-point winners.

Rathmore’s Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra made a winning return to the Corn Uí Mhuirí, defeating last season’s semi-finalists, Clonakilty Community College, in their Group B opener.

Former Galway star Peter Finnerty has endorsed U20 manager Jeff Lynskey to succeed Micheál Donoghue as county manager.

Paul Geaney led the way as Dingle qualified for the Kerry SFC quarter-finals with a deserved victory over Kerins O’Rahilly’s in a closely-fought contest at Páirc an Ághasaigh on Saturday evening.

East Kerry’s dominance of Kerry underage football continued as their minors completed the four in a row as they saw off the stern challenge of St Brendan’s side at a rain-lashed Austin Stack Park last night.

Former Kerry stars Aidan O’Mahony and Kieran Donaghy rolled back the years in the County League this weekend.

Former Brighton & Hove Albion player Dessie Hutchinson nailed a late free from 40 metres as Gailltir edged An Rinn 1-5 to 1-4 on a miserable Sunday afternoon in Kill.

Lansdowne continue to look the team to beat in Ulster Bank League Division 1A after winning at Tom Clifford Park for the first time since 2011, while defending champions Cork Constitution have leapfrogged Terenure College in pursuit of the second home semi-final berth.

David Burke will bid to play himself into the annals of Galway GAA after it was confirmed he will continue as captain of the hurlers as they try to retain the All-Ireland title.

The depth of affection for the late Tony Keady far beyond Galway’s borders was underlined again on Saturday when a deputation from Cork visited Oranmore to make a presentation of Cork hurling memorabilia to the Keady family, writes Larry Ryan of the Irish Examiner.

To grasp just how novel this upcoming All-Ireland final will be, you need only look at the sideline and the profile of the two selectorial teams compared to who was there last year, writes Kieran Shannon.

Former Galway double All-Ireland winning captain Conor Hayes hopes Adrian Tuohy will be cleared to play in next month’s final.

David Burke doesn’t do clichés.

At around half six on Sunday evening, most of the Galway team were to be found licking ice creams outside Supermacs on the Old Ennis Road.

On the way home from the Gaelic Grounds yesterday, I was snaking my way out the Ennis Road in my car when I saw Conor Hayes at the side of the road.

By his own admission, Galway’s 1980 Liam MacCarthy-winning captain Joe Connolly only played one game of football in his life. 

Galway’s last All-Ireland winning captain Conor Hayes says that the stinging criticism of the county’s senior hurlers following their Leinster final defeat to Kilkenny was “ridiculous”.

Anthony Cunningham didn’t deserve his term to end the way it did, writes Anthony Daly

Charleville 5-24 Dripsey 1-10: Glory for Charleville in Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday night, as the north Cork club made up for last year’s heartbreak at the hands of Fermoy to cruise to the Cork intermediate hurling title.

A few minutes after the 2012 All-Ireland final replay Conor Hayes, on duty with Galway Bay FM, was making his way out of the press area in Croke Park when he stopped for a moment. “I once asked an old man what was the best time to cut a hawthorn stick,” Hayes announced.

He’ll be in the Galway dressing room today - the minor one. Two years ago Tony Óg Regan’s dream of a senior All-Ireland with his beloved maroon and white was smashed by a phone call from Anthony Cunningham. Bitter now? No. Hurt? Wouldn’t you be?

The last Galway man to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup believes the Tribesmen “will never get a better chance” to end an All-Ireland senior hurling famine that stretches back to 1988.

Not a spectacular Sunday, in keeping with the hurling championship to date, but an interesting one. 

Dripsey 1-15 Grenagh 1-12: Just 12 months after they endured a 14-point loss to Grenagh and subsequent relegation play-off with St Catherine’s, Dripsey will be contesting the quarter-finals of the Cork IHC, against Kildorrery or Éire Óg.

The most maligned team in Gaelic football only went and answered their critics yesterday — just as the baiting reached fever pitch with even ‘yerra’ merchants from Kerry breaking cover.

"It will happen again for Galway — it’s just a matter of time."

After 33 years in the senior grade, Boherlahan-Dualla are relegated to intermediate for next year, following their 3-20 to 1-12 defeat by Moyne-Templetuohy in the relegation play-off at Holycross.

This day last week, former Galway defender Greg Kennedy took to Facebook to unload his thoughts about the state of hurling in the county.

The battle to become Galway senior hurling manager next season has been cut to a two-horse race between current manager Anthony Cunningham and his former selector and coach Mattie Kenny.

Anthony Daly will not lead the Galway hurlers into the 2015 championship.

ALLIANZ HL DIVISION 1A:

Roscrea 1-12 Moycarkey-Borris 1-11

Looked at in isolation, Galway’s feat in winning back-to-back All-Ireland titles in 1987-88 represented a major leap forward for a county more used to feeding off scraps from hurling’s elite.

AS legends go, this pair definitely fit the bill.

Brendan Lynskey looks back on it now and chuckles.

Perhaps most vitally, they boasted then a certain dash of JR’s winning lawlessness.

FINAL DEBATE: Will the Galway management pay for ditching so much experience?

Brian Cody is managing Kilkenny into an All-Ireland final for the 12th time.

It’s gone down as one of the greatest goals of all time.

Pete Finnerty had a neat way of summing up Galway’s failings a few years back.

“It’s a great night for us, the pressure is off, and from now on we will be able to hurl with freedom and without fear,” were Dromina coach Gary Morrissey’s words of praise after his side scraped past Dripsey in round three of the IHC in Kanturk on Saturday night.