Senior hurlers to test themselves against champions Galway

Galway are through to the GAA hurling Leinster final and will know their opponents on Saturday evening when Kilkenny play Wexford in Nowlan Park (7.0).

Galway play Dublin in Pearse Stadium on Saturday at 7.0 while in the Munster championship on Sunday (2.0) it’s Tipperary v Clare in Semple Stadium and Limerick v Waterford in the Gaelic Grounds.

GALWAY v DUBLIN

This will be only the ninth championship match between the counties, with Dublin leading 5-2 while there was one draw in the previous eight. Galway’s first win came in 2015 and they followed up with another success last year.

Previous Dublin-Galway Clashes

2017: Galway 2-28 Dublin 1-17 (Leinster quarter-final)

2015: Galway 5-19 Dublin 1-18 (Leinster quarter-final) Replay

2015: Dublin 0-20 Galway 1-17 (Leinster quarter-final)

2013: Dublin 2-25 Galway 2-13 (Leinster final)

2011: Dublin 0-19 Galway 2-7 (Leinster semi-final)

1941: Dublin 2-4 Galway 2-2 (All-Ireland semi-final)

1924: Dublin 5-3 Galway 2-6 (All-Ireland final)

1920: Dublin 6-3 Galway 1-4 (All-Ireland semi-final)

*This is Galway’s ninth season in the Leinster senior championship. Their record reads: Played 29; Won 19, Drew 3, Lost 7. Here’s how they fared against individual counties.

Kilkenny: Played 8, Won 2, Drew 1, Lost 5

Laois: Played 4, Won 4

Offaly: Played 6, Won 5, Drew 1

Dublin: Played 5, Won 2, Lost 2, Drew 1

Westmeath: Played 3, Won 3

Wexford: Played 3, Won 3

Galway have beaten Offaly, Kilkenny and Wexford so far in the ‘round robin’ series while Dublin beat Offaly and lost to Wexford and Kilkenny.

There’s nothing on the line in this game in terms of the Leinster championship as Galway are already through to the final while Dublin cannot finish in the top three but are free of relegation worries.

KILKENNY v WEXFORD

Both have won two of three games so far so the winners will take the big prize of a place in the Leinster final against Galway. A draw would suffice for Wexford who have a scoring difference of +17 points, while Kilken-ny are on +3.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS

2017: Wexford 1-20 Kilkenny 3-11 (Leinster semi-final)

2015: Kilkenny 5-25 Wexford 0-16 (Leinster semi-final)

2011: Kilkenny 1-26 Wexford 1-15 (Leinster semi-final)

2008: Kilkenny 5-21 Wexford 0-17 (Leinster final)

2007: Kilkenny 0-23 Wexford 1-10 (All-Ireland semi-final)

They meet for the fourth time this year, with Kilkenny having won two to Wexford’s one of the previous three. Wexford won the Walsh Cup final on a free-taking shoot-out when the sides finished level (1-24 each) after extra-time in Nowlan Park in January. Kilkenny won a Round 5 Allianz League game (0-22 to 0-19) in Nowlan Park and later won a semi-final (1-27 to 2-15) in Innovate Wexford Park.

Both Kilkenny and Wexford beat Dublin and Offaly and lost to Galway in the earlier Leinster ‘round robin’ games.

Kilkenny and Wexford have met twelve times in the championship since Brian Cody took over as Cats’ boss in late 1998. It’s 10-2 to Kilkenny in those games, with Wexford’s only successes coming in the 2004 and 2017 Leinster semi-finals.

*Davy Fitzgerald is among a small band who have managed in three counties. He guided Waterford to the Munster title in 2010 and Clare to the All-Ireland title in 2013. His championship record with Waterford, Clare and Wexford reads: Played 26, Won 12, Drew 2, Lost 12.

TIPPERARY v CLARE

They last met in the championship in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final in Pairc Ui Chaoimh when Tipper-ary won by three points. Clare beat Tipperary by five points in Round 1 f this year’s Allianz League in Janu-ary.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS

2017: Tipperary 0-28 Clare 3-16 (All-Ireland quarter-final)

2011: Tipperary 4-19 Clare 1-19 (Munster semi-final)

2009: Tipperary 3-28 Clare 1-22 (Munster semi-final)

2008: Tipperary 2-21 Clare 0-19 (Munster final)

2005: Tipperary 2-14 Clare 0-14 (Munster semi-final)

Tipperary are still seeking their first win in the Munster ‘round robin’ series, having drawn with Cork and Waterford and lost to Limerick.

Clare are having their third ‘round robin’ outing, losing to Cork and beating Waterford in the first two.

Tipperary have won their last five championship meetings with Clare, leaving the Banner men looking for their first victory since the 2003 Munster quarter-final (2-17 to 0-14) in Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

LIMERICK v WATERFORD

This will be the first championship meeting between the counties since 2011 when Waterford won a Mun-ster semi-final by a point.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS

2011: Waterford 3-15 Limerick 3-14 (Munster semi-final)

2009: Waterford 0-25 Limerick 0-17 (Munster semi-final) Replay

2009: Waterford 0-11 Limerick 1-8 (Munster semi-final) Draw

2007: Limerick 5-11 Waterford 2-15 (All-Ireland semi-final)

2007: Waterford 3-17 Limerick 1-14 (Munster final)

Limerick have beaten Tipperary and drawn with Cork in their first two Munster ‘round robin’ games.

Waterford have lost to Clare and drawn with Tipperary in their two opening games.

Limerick’s last championship win over Waterford was in the 2007 All-Ireland semi-final.

Limerick have won ten, drawn one and lost one (League semi-final to Tipperary after extra-time) of their 12 Munster League, Allianz League and Munster championship games this year.

Waterford did not compete in the Munster League and have won two, drawn one and lost five of their eight Allianz League and Munster championship games.

JOE McDONAGH CUP

Westmeath, who have won all four games to date, are booked for the final and will be joined by either Carlow (6pts) or Antrim (4pts). Carlow host Westmeath in Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday while Antrim host Kerry in Dunloy.

A draw or a win would secure a place in the final for Carlow but if they lost and Antrim beat Kerry, the Ulster men would go through on the head-to-head rule, having beaten Carlow in Round 2.

If Kerry win and Carlow lost, Carlow will go through as they beat the Kingdom in Round 1.

2018 GAA HURLING ALL-IRELAND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

LEINSTER

Round Robin 1

May 12: Galway 5-18 Offaly 2-15, Bord na Mona O’Connor Park.

May13: Kilkenny 1-24 Dublin 3-16, Parnell Park.

Round Robin 2

May 20: Kilkenny 2-19 Offaly 1-13, Nowlan Park; Wexford 0-22 Dublin 2-14, Innovate Wexford Park.

Round Robin 3

May 26: Wexford 5-24 Offaly 2-9, Bord na Mona O’Connor Park.

May 27: Galway 1-22 Kilkenny 2-11, Pearse Stadium

Round Robin 4

June 2: Galway 1-23 Wexford 0-17, Innovate Wexford Park

June 3: Dublin 2-24 Offaly 0-13, Parnell Park.

Round Robin 5

June 9: Kilkenny v Wexford, Nowlan Park; Galway v Dublin, Pearse Stadium

July 1: Final, Croke Park.

MUNSTER

Round Robin 1

May 20: Limerick 1-23Tipperary 2-14, Gaelic Grounds; Cork 2-23 Clare 1-21, Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Round Robin 2

May 27: Tipperary 2-20 Cork 1-23, Semple Stadium; Clare 2-27 Waterford 2-18, Cusack Park.

Round Robin 3

June 2: Cork 1-25 Limerick 0-28, Pairc Ui Chaoimh

June 3: Waterford 2-22Tipperary 2-22, Gaelic Grounds

Round Robin 4

June 10: Limerick v Waterford, Gaelic Grounds; Tipperary v Clare, Semple Stadium

Round Robin 5

June 17: Waterford v Cork, Semple Stadium; Clare v Limerick, Cusack Park

July 1: Final

All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals

July 7/8: 3rd placed Munster v Joe McDonagh Cup winners; 3rd placed Leinster v Joe McDonagh Cup run-ners-up

All-Ireland quarter-finals

July 15: Munster runners-up v Preliminary quarter-final winner; Leinster runners-up v Preliminary quarter-final winner.

July 28: All-Ireland semi-final, Croke Park

July 29: All-Ireland semi-final, Croke Park

August 19: All-Ireland final, Croke Park.

JOE McDONAGH CUP

Round 1: Antrim 5-25 Meath 2-18; Carlow 0-21 Kerry 0-18; Westmeath 2-21 Laois 1-21.

Round 2: Kerry 3-20 Laois 0-19; Antrim 2-16 Carlow 0-19; Westmeath 4-24 Meath 2-17.

Round 3

May 19/20: Westmeath 2-12 Kerry 0-15; Laois 1-20 Antrim 1-19; Carlow 0-21 Meath 1-14.

Round 4

June 3: Kerry 0-18 Meath 0-16; Carlow 2-25 Laois 2-15; Westmeath 2-19 Antrim 1-20.

Round 5

June 9: Meath v Laois; Carlow v Westmeath; Antrim v Kerry.

Final: July 1, Croke Park