I attended a fundraiser organised by Ger Loughnane in Ennis last weekend. Fair play to Ger – when he asks people to dip in their pockets for a worthy cause, they don’t hesitate. There were over 40 tables at €1,000 a pop in aid of cancer patients and their families in the mid-west region, obviously a cause very close to his heart. So, too, is hurling and Ger lined up a panel that night to take questions from the floor. In no particular order, we were treated to musings from Ger, Liam Sheedy, Davy Fitzgerald, Anthony Daly, Brian Cody and Richie Bennis. Honesty, blunt truth and bold predictions – and that was just from Richie.

According to the former Limerick manager, Donal O’Grady should never have returned to take over the Limerick hurlers and they will do just fine without him. I’m inclined to go along with that. If last Sunday proved anything, it is that the old rules still apply to championship. The team that arrives ready to play from the start will always have a serious chance. If the Shannonsiders are in the proper frame of mind, they can give Tipp plenty of it this weekend.

The underdogs have much on their side. They never mind taking on Tipp in Thurles, they beat them last year and, lest we forget, they are the defending Munster champions. They are still a relatively young side back-boned by talent that has proven itself on the senior stage. Hannon, Dowling, Mulcahy and Downes are a year older, hopefully wiser, while the doggedness of their middle line is epitomised by workhorse ball winners like Seamus Hickey, David Breen and James Ryan. You’d better be tuned in to get the better of those guys.

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Having said all that, I expect Richie to be disappointed come Sunday evening because this is simply a game that the home side cannot lose. Defeat is out of the question for Eamon O’Shea’s side as they could not recover from that. The pressure valve has been building in the Premier county for over 20 months now, for it was August 2012 when the then Munster champions were humiliated by Kilkenny in Largate – that unforgettable and bizarre All-Ireland semi-final. Tipperary haven’t won a championship game since and took little consolation from dying with their boots on against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park last summer.

So the minimum requirement from them this year is an All-Ireland semi-final and perhaps a Munster championship to boot. That’s the minimum; Tipp supporters, however, think they are good enough to win the All-Ireland. Whether it will happen will come down to a number of factors and perhaps luck is the only one not in their control.

Last year in Limerick they faded in the last 20 minutes and looked like the team who had played spring hurling in the second tier. With the game on the line, some of their key men went out of the match completely. A mere suggestion of that this year and they will be also-rans.

Tipp’s best player for the league was Seamus Callinan, up to but not including the final, and question marks remain over his ability to win a game on his own, in the manner of Lar, Eoin Kelly or Noel McGrath.

Callinan needs to silence the doubters on a couple of big days when the game is in the mix.

We’re told Lar could be back and he would be some addition if fit, but his hurling has been very rationed of late. You can’t get away with that at the very top level, perhaps his best role these days might be emerging from the bench. It looks like he’ll have Eoin Kelly for company there – two decent options to close out the game.

I fancy Tipp because they have home advantage and because of the strength of their defence and midfield. They will deliver enough ball to win plenty of matches. Michael Cahill is a very underrated player, Conor O’Mahony a totally reliable one. The Mahers, Pauric, Brendan and Bonnar, are also consistent and very effective in Semple Stadium.

The rest is up to the forwards and Callinan will have help. While Noel McGrath is once again looking like the player of 2010, a newcomer I like the look of is Denis Maher (that name again), who has the first requirement of any Tipp forward: a real eye for goal.

All-Star Richie McCarthy was Limerick’s most impressive player from full-back in their epic Munster title run; he will have his hands full on Sunday because Tipp will come looking for goals. They’ll get them too.

Leinster hurling

Wexford and Galway are both out this Sunday, with Antrim and Laois expected to fill the roles of sacrificial lambs. There is nothing quite like going into a 4pm match in Thurles with word sweeping the place that “Wexford/Galway are in trouble against Antrim/Laois.”

Twelve months ago Laois certainly bothered the Tribesmen for about 55 minutes and Galway weren’t up to much in 2013. Alas for Laois, who are making strides, this Galway team are two weeks out from Kilkenny, so they have no choice but to cut loose this time out.

The greatest conundrum in hurling have the makings of a team this summer. All they are missing is a Joe Canning back in love with the game. If Joe can find that spark, then they will surely knuckle down to settle a score with the Cats.

Funny, Wexford could struggle against an Antrim side that has four, albeit round robin, championship matches played in five weeks. Strange as it sounds, I still fancy Wexford to struggle by against the northerners but really put it up to Leinster champions Dublin in a fortnight’s time.

Hurling is funny like that. Just ask Richie Bennis.