Hurling previews: Cork and Clare can cut through the lingering doubts to reach All-Ireland semi-finals

Wexford's Jack O'Connor tackles Cathal Malone of Clare earlier this year in a league match. The counties clash in the championship this weekend. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho— The huge acclaim that greeted Cork’s win over Limerick seems a lot longer ago than a few weeks. That evening, it looked like new contenders had arrived and whereas not much has happened to undermine the optimism, Limerick’s remorseless progress in the meantime puts it all in a familiar context.

That game with Séamus Harnedy, Shane Barrett and Darragh Fitzgibbon creating havoc under early ball and Alan Connolly and Patrick Horgan — still engaged in the eternal arm wrestle with TJ Reid at the top of the all-time scoring charts — lethal inside, was almost irresistible.Dublin’s neat running and passing through the lines came hideously unstuck against Kilkenny and they suffered a meltdown in consequence.

Neither should they be taken too lightly. Their performances have been solid since they turned their season around after losing in Belfast. Lee Chin has been immense even by his standards, whereas Conor McDonald and Rory O’Connor have also been in productive form. Richie Lawlor is back after missing last week and former All Star Diarmuid O’Keeffe makes his first appearance of the year, on the bench.

They have struggled for a consistently reliable free-taker and Aidan McCarthy’s four misses in Thurles plus Tony Kelly’s inaccuracies were a drain on confidence. They wouldn’t have been reduced to a controversial 65 against Waterford for deliverance had they not conjured eye-boggling wides, again in the third quarter.

Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)

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