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

In the mind’s eye, he will always have a hurley in his hand.

Ger Aylward is keen to make up for lost time, according to his Glenmore club-mate and former Kilkenny forward Christy Heffernan.

Galway captain David Collins is a doubt for Sunday’s Leinster SHC final with Kilkenny.

What constitutes sledging? The buzzword-in-chief of the 2015 championship made an unexpected intrusion into Newstalk’s build-up to the weekend’s hurling.

Yesterday in Nowlan Park reminded me of the Gaelic Grounds in 1993.

One-sided games usually have no major talking points and that was more or less the case for the three televised hurling games this weekend.

Kilkenny 5-25 Wexford 0-16: Nothing personal, just business. At the final whistle, Kilkenny players reached for the hands of their opponents as if to utter the line from The Godfather.

“We were fierce unlucky, weren’t we?” Only Liam Dunne could open with a line like that after a 24-point haunting.

Brian Cody had no concerns about the 12-week break Kilkenny endured prior to yesterday’s championship opener.

Galway 3-28 Laois 1-14: The north-west wind continues to blow strongly in Galway’s favour but to boil down this performance to another coin toss win would be facetious.

It was only weeks after JJ Delaney’s retirement at a function in Kilkenny’s Cíllin Hill that Brian Cody was approached by a supporter about replacing what the manager himself has described as the greatest defender he has ever seen.

Do Laois fear Galway? No.

He’s 68 now but as you can guess Liam Griffin’s passion for sport and business is still there. The desire — no, the desperation — to see Wexford back on a hurling pedestal.

JJ Delaney anticipates Joey Holden will be tasked with replacing him as Kilkenny’s full-back when they begin the defence of their Leinster and All-Ireland titles this weekend.

Galway hurlers could be on the verge of a surprise boost in the next two weeks with Conor Cooney back doing light training following his broken foot.

Michael Fennelly’s immediate focus remains proving himself fit for Kilkenny’s meeting with Wexford this Sunday, but ongoing back trouble may force him to re-evaluate his career if the issue continues to compromise his hurling and his life outside it.

Michael Carton insists Dublin can still win this year’s All-Ireland hurling championship despite being demolished by Galway. 

Westmeath hurler Shane Power feared he had lost the sight in his eye after a freak accident before the Leinster SHC quarter-final with Wexford.

The second James Owens blew the final whistle on Laois’ stunning nine-point defeat of Offaly in Sunday’s Leinster quarter-final, man of the match Willie Hyland made a beeline towards his manager.

Laois 0-29 Offaly 0-20: A little over a week ago, Laois hurling was at a crossroads, with the significant progress made in the past three years on the brink of being washed away in one fell swoop.

Galway 5-19 Dublin 1-18: Dublin’s fate wasn’t sealed losing the toss but losing their heads in reacting to it. 

Liam Dunne gave his Wexford players a tongue lashing for not ‘obliterating’ vulnerable Westmeath.

Wexford 1-24 Westmeath 1-16: This was not a performance to overly worry Kilkenny but then it is highly unlikely Wexford were ever going to reveal too much of themselves in a Leinster quarter-final tie in Mullingar.

“It is 43 years now and God knows we’ve waited long enough,” says Frank Keenan, his tone suggesting a wearing thin of patience.

For the record, it took an exceptional save from Colm Callanan to deny Colm Cronin and Dublin a goal last week. But for that denial, we wouldn’t have a replay to preview.

Dublin 0-20 Galway 1-17: Rip it up and start again. 

We’re still punch drunk from the latest round of Galway hurling cliche bingo… consistency.... never know which Galway will turn up… can they put two performances back to back… where should they play Joe Canning?

In the stroll down Jones’s Road yesterday afternoon, the general consensus was that Dublin’s meeting with Longford in the Leinster football championship would be a rerun of Christians-Lions (Coliseum, vespers), with no guesses as to which side were going to be portraying the early converts, or the main course.

Two weeks ago, I highlighted the inconsistencies of referees’ judgements on shoulder challenges.

Anthony Cunningham called for Galway to be ‘embraced properly into Leinster’ and to be allowed to play Championship games at Pearse Stadium after seeing another opportunity to play at home passed up by the Leinster Council.

The Leinster Council have a lot to answer for.

Dublin captain Peter Kelly is a major injury concern ahead of next Saturday’s Leinster quarter-final replay.

There’s a chap out there in the national media who to all appearances is doing very nicely for himself. 

When I stepped down from Dublin last September, I was barely back down the M7 when some people already thought I had relocated to Galway. 

LET’S START WITH DEREK McGRATH’S WATERFORD....

Dublin manager Ger Cunningham has confirmed that former Kerry star Darragh O’Connell is in contention for a Leinster SHC debut against Galway on Sunday week, May 31.

Carlow 1-14 Laois 1-17

London 0-16 Laois 2-13