In Pictures: A preview of the weekend’s GAA action

By Stephen Barry

Both of last year’s All-Ireland hurling finalists enter the Championship arena this weekend, as Kilkenny meet age-old rivals Wexford and Tipperary seek revenge on Limerick.

The Galway hurlers face Laois, who have given them regular headaches in the recent past, while one half of the Connacht and Ulster football final placings will be decided.

Here are the storylines of the weekend’s GAA action…

Munster SHC semi-final: Limerick v Tipperary

Scenting blood: Limerick have achieved back-to-back Championship wins against Tipperary and, after Kilkenny, are the team the Premier most fear. Shane Dowling has been instrumental in both victories, scoring 2-9 last year.

The Treaty county edged out Clare to get their Munster campaign off to a solid start. Yet the talk of the town was Cian Lynch; the 19-year-old prodigy throwing the Clare defence off balance with his trademark tricks and flicks.

John O’Dwyer was an injury doubt for Eamon O’Shea but is named to start; some compensation for the absence of Noel McGrath. Defeat in the League semi-final to Waterford means that Munster provides O’Shea’s penultimate chance of a trophy in his final year.

Substitutes have been the key difference for Limerick in the past, with John Fitzgibbon felling Clare last month, Thomas Ryan finishing off Tipperary last year and Dowling doing the damage in 2013. It’s likely to run until the final whistle again on Sunday.

Leinster SHC semi-final: Kilkenny v Wexford

29 All-Stars worth of experience retired from Kilkenny duty over the winter, but full-back JJ Delaney was the only one of those who quit as a starter. Delaney has tipped Ballyhale’s Joey Holden to take his spot and track Wexford attacker Conor McDonald on Sunday.

“The management would love to have Jack Guiney, but I am not so sure that Jack wants us as much as we want him,” said Liam Dunne after dropping Guiney. The star forward contributed 2-26 in Wexford’s League campaign.

Leinster SHC semi-final: Galway v Laois

Laois have pushed Galway to their limit when they met in Leinster both of the past two years. Last year Laois ‘keeper Eoin Reilly had a shot from a 21-yard free stopped, when a goal would’ve given his side a last-gasp, shock win.

Willie Hyland’s seven points from play against Offaly was an impressive tally. Yet Galway hurled with intensity in defence against Dublin and scored heavily in open play through Cathal Mannion (3-3) and Joe Canning (2-3), who lead the attack tonight.

Connacht SFC semi-final: Roscommon v Sligo

Sligo are the last team to enter the Championship and will face a Roscommon side who have become accustomed to winning on Saturday. It’s easily forgotten that these two last clashed in the 2010 Connacht final, with only two players remaining from the winning Rossie team.

Ulster SFC semi-final: Fermanagh v Monaghan

Fermanagh mustered their first Ulster Championship win since 2010 against Cavan. Back then, Monaghan were also next up and comfortably defeated the Breffni County. A repeat performance on Sunday would give Paul Finlay and Co. a third Ulster final berth in a row.

All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round 1A: London v Cavan

The start of the Qualifiers marks the end of the road for many teams. Most intriguingly Paul Coggins’s ever-changing team of Exiles welcome Cavan to Ruislip, two years after the Ulstermen eliminated London at the round four stage in Croke Park.

Also in Qualifier action on Saturday are: Laois v Antrim, in the highest quality match-up of the four; Longford v Carlow, as the two teams seek to recover from Leinster hammerings; and Waterford v Offaly, who both badly disappointed in their Championship openers.