PREVIEW: GALWAY’S SEARCH FOR SIX CAN END IN ALL-IRELAND GLORY

By the end of the match, however, Limerick were hanging on for dear life. Galway had enough of being walked all over and rallied to such an extent that there were only two points in it (2-27 to 0-31) at the finish, with all the late drama around the opposition posts.

There and then, we knew there was something different about Galway this year. They didn't surrender or give up when Limerick were in full flight; instead, they mobilised themselves to seriously rattle hurling's dominant force of nearly the past decade. It was a statement effort.

Significantly, 12 of the team which lined out that day against Limerick started last Sunday week's All-Ireland semi-final against Cork. The exceptions were Cianan Fahy, TJ Brennan, and Cian Daniels, who was utilised as a second-half substitute against the Rebels.

Still, it would have been a stretch back then to predict that the Tribesmen would go on to claim the Leinster title for the first time in eight years and bridge the same gap to an All-Ireland Final appearance, especially as their round-robin provincial campaign would prove a bit hit-and-miss.

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Another scorching of the Cats was the stand-out, but Galway were caught napping on home turf by Dublin late on; found themselves 10 points of adrift of minnows Kildare in Newbridge at the interval; and trailed Wexford by a whopping 3-9 to to 0-5 in the opening half. And still they eventually won both those games pulling up.

Ahead of the Leinster Final, there were many neutrals who thought Dublin had the more convincing form, but Galway simply blew their challenge away. It was mostly one-way traffic on a day Tom Monaghan shot the lights out with seven points from play, with Conor Whelan managing just two less.

It was an impressive Galway performance, but the post-match narrative was dominated by how poor Dublin were. That background ensured Micheál Donoghue's team headed into the All-Ireland semi-final against Munster finalists Cork somewhat under the radar and unburdened by expectation.

When the Rebels went from five points behind to five in front during the second quarter, it looked as though the semi-final was going to script. Almost unbelievably, however, from the 30th minute on, Galway outscored Cork by 1-19 to six points, with Jason Rabbitte, Monaghan, and Ronan Glennon leading the maroon charge.

It sets the scene for Sunday's All-Ireland final against Limerick at Croke Park (3.30pm), a repeat of the 2018 decider when the Shannonsiders ended a 45-year title famine on a 3-16 to 2-18 scoreline. There was a mad-cap finale as Galway, trailing by eight points with only two minutes of normal time remaining, scared the life out of the success-starved Limerick fans with late goals from Whelan and Joe Canning, who even had a chance to force a draw with a free from downtown – possibly nearer to Dalymount Park than the Limerick posts.

Since then, the counties have clashed three times in the championship, all in semi-finals and all that Galway have lost. Apart from 2023 when Limerick were nine point winners, the men from the West gave John Kiely's team lots to think about in 2020 (0-27 to 0-24) and 2022 (0-27 to 1-21).

Since 2019, there has been no shortage of managerial upheaval in Galway. After Donoghue surprisingly pulled the plug on his reign after defeat by Dublin in Parnell Park saw them fail to emerge from the province, the county turned to Limerick man Shane O'Neill to take over, but that leftfield appointment created nothing like the stir when Henry Shefflin rolled into town in October of 2021.

Suddenly, expectations were raised with the appointment of the former Kilkenny great and the sport's most decorated player, and though Galway were largely competitive during his tenure, that last-gasp loss to his native Kilkenny – courtesy of Cillian Buckley's goal – in the 2023 Leinster Final proved a real sickener.

Shefflin was also very loyal to the squad he inherited and there were local grumbles over the lack of new blood being promoted. His reign finished when Dublin defeated Galway by six points at Pearse Stadium in May of 2024 – a result which ended their interest in the championship.

And who was in the opposition corner? None other than the man who had guided Galway to their long-awaited All-Ireland triumph in 2017. There were tensions on the sideline too, notably when David Burke received a red card. Yet, nobody was surprised when Galway again turned to Donoghue – after-all, he's the only manager to have led the county to a senior All-Ireland title in the last 37 years – to replace Shefflin.

His first season back didn't go well. The tone was set by a first round league hammering to Tipperary in Salthill; while their championship exit to the same opposition at the quarter-final stage was tame enough. They also lost the Leinster Final by eight points to Kilkenny (3-22 to 1-20).

Donoghue and his management team of Noel Larkin, Franny Forde, and Aidan Harte knew they had to bite the bullet and were prepared to almost start from scratch again. The panel was shaken-up, there was a greater reliance on youth. The likes of Rabbitte, Daniels, Aaron Niland, and Darragh Neary were promoted, with Tiernan Killeen, Joshua Ryan and Cillian Trayers also becoming regulars.

Some of their more seasoned players have also been rejuvenated, notably Whelan and Monaghan; while the long-serving Mannion brothers, Padraic and Cathal, are as good as ever in a team where Darren Morrissey has taken to the skipper's role like a duck to water and Darach Fahy has never looked more confident between the posts. On top of that, the polished Gavin Lee has formed a fine midfield alliance with Killeen.

And then you have multiple All-Star Daithí Burke, who just doesn't know how to give up. He's been injury-prone this Summer, but his heart never wavers. He is teak-tough and the Galway crowd adore him. Burke was in all kinds of trouble against Cork's Brian Hayes, but remains a powerful presence to have on your side.

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Limerick, for their part, are no longer the force which captured five All-Ireland titles in six years and there is a temptation to suggest that this great team is on its last legs, bearing in mind the amount of hurling they have done and the hardship encountered, especially in the bear-pit of Munster, since 2017.

Furthermore, eight of the team which faced Galway in 2018 – Nickie Quaid, Sean Finn, Diarmuid Byrnes, Dan Morrissey, Darragh O'Donovan, Gearóid Hegarty, Kyle Hayes and Aaron Gillane – all started last Sunday week's semi-final against Clare, while four more, Mike Casey, Tom Morrissey, Cian Lynch and Will O'Donoghue, came on as substitutes. In contrast, Galway have just four starting survivors from eight years ago, the Mannions', Daithí Burke and Whelan, though Conor Cooney is still making his presence felt as a reserve.

That is a lot of wear and tear these Limerick players have endured, but they would cherish the winning of another All-Ireland, especially after their historic five-in-a-row bid was ended by Cork in the 2024 All-Ireland semi-final, not forgetting last year's shock quarter-final loss to Dublin.

Lynch will surely start in the final after a hamstring injury prevented him from taking the field against Clare until near the end, while to come through such a tough semi-final is bound to stand to them against Galway. But they were on the ropes for long periods of that game and it was their fabled resilience which saw them through.

Limerick are mentally resolute and they will be revved-up to hit Galway with everything in their locker. They are so strong physically that it's impossible to see the Tribesmen securing as much possession as was the case against Cork. There is also the prospect of Limerick handling the big-day pressure better given so many of the Galway players will have never faced such a cauldron before.

It's not difficult to imagine that Limerick could produce their best performance of the season, but it's been hard going for them recently. They have gone to the well so often and will need their younger brigade of Cathal Casey, Aidan O'Connor, and Shane O'Brien to do some of the heavy lifting on Sunday.

Going on the record books, it would be easy to be negative about Galway's chances. Spectacular semi-final displays in the past haven't led to All-Ireland silverware, while their poor record in finals – only five wins from 25 appearances – also lends itself to caution. On the other hand, Galway had never beaten Waterford in the championship until the 2017 decider.

Remember too, Galway have already routed Kilkenny, Dublin, and Cork in this year's championship, so it's not as though they have wobbled their way into the final. They have momentum, energy, and a tactical plan which is difficulty to counteract. More importantly, Galway have real quality in their ranks.

On their semi-final evidence, Limerick can still bend a match in their favour through sheer force of will and if they are to go down, it will only be with all guns blazing. Galway, however, are in a great place and if they repeat the vibrancy of their display against Cork, only a sixth All-Ireland senior hurling title could be heading west on Sunday.