Who will evade Madame Guillotine and her blade?
She will be sitting inside Semple Stadium, indifferent and exact. These All-Ireland quarter-finals dictate who joins Kilkenny and Tipperary, now strong favourites to see September, in the last four. There is hope rather than expectation that a meeting of these counties can be prevented. So far this season, their main challengers have either stood still or fallen back.
Sunday provides the chance for some team to make a statement, gaining credibility and momentum in equal measure. Does anyone genuinely believe Wexford can go all the way? Hard to think so. But Clare, Galway, and Waterford become hot contenders if they can spark their campaign. Fail to do so and you must look to the tumbrel, sooner rather than later.
