The hurlers re-take centre stage this weekend, as the footballers get a break.

At least that was the plan, until a couple of games were called off last weekend. As a result there are four football matches to be restaged, among them are two juicy contests in the top two divisions.

Cavan and Meath meet in a rescheduled Division 2 clash, with the winners going top of the table. Despite one being housed in Leinster, the other in Ulster, these two share a lengthy border and a decent rivalry. When the dust settles on this division, this game will be significant. The Royals might have enough.

Meanwhile, Kerry go back to Iniskeen on Sunday where Monaghan will be gunning for them as a home win will relieve relegation stress for another few weeks. This game will probably be more important for Monaghan than for the visitors. With that in mind, the Kingdom will probably win!

Of course the biggest football match of the weekend is the All-Ireland club semi-final between Galway and Connacht kingpins, Corofin, six times provincial champions, twice winners of the Andy Merrigan Cup and Moorefield of Kildare, once Leinster champions, but strangers to Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day.

The Lillywhite club champions still playing in March would be a fairytale, but any side that emerges from the Leinster battleground has a chance. Throw in the experienced Ronan Sweeney and chief scoring forward Eanna O’Connor (son of former Kerry manager Jack) and Corofin, for all their pedigree, face a battle in Tullamore on Saturday.

Small ball

By Saturday night it will be back to the small ball, with a tasty tussle between Tipp and Wexford. Hopefully the weather behaves.

It should be informative. Tipperary will feel they misplayed the league last year by almost winning it, then enduring a serious hangover from losing it, but home games still have to be won and they’ll rest easier about relegation with a win here.

They’ll also benefit from this game because Davy Fitz’s side will make them work for it. It’s what Davy’s teams do. Right now Wexford are the form hurling squad in the country and Davy doesn’t do anything other than full throttle.

He’ll be reminding his players all week long that Tipp gave them a lesson in Nowlan Park last year in the league semi-final. They’ll arrive in Thurles ready to play.

Lee Chin wandering over on Pauric Maher should be worth the admission price alone, but there will be physicality all over the field and some fire in the bellies too.

Defeat won’t hurt either sideline unless the manner of it is tame. It won’t be.

Heating up

We don’t imagine it will be lukewarm in Waterford either when the Cats pay a visit on Sunday. Win, lose or draw neither Brian Cody nor Derek McGrath will be overly concerned, regardless of what you hear after the game or whichever pundit starts writing team obituaries.

For Kilkenny, their crisis has seen them lose to two well stoked teams in Cork and Clare by one score on each occasion. The days when seven or eight championship regulars would see them past average sides are long gone, but the Cats are not. Not yet and not by a long shot.

This could be decent fare, but neither squad is close to being fully wound up. Still, it is a meeting of the ‘basement’ sides and after this, barring a draw of course, one of them will be tagged with losing all three of their opening contests. Waterford to win, but don’t read that much into it.

Unbeaten Clare have Cork in Cusack Park, where they will be keen to wrap up safety with two away trips ahead of them in Waterford and Wexford.

The Banner, like all of the top hurling sides have players involved with colleges this week in the Fitzgibbon cup semi-finals and with the final down for the following weekend, it wouldn’t hurt if there was a game where key men could be rested. A win in Cusack Park would grant that luxury.

The Rebels will meet Clare in their first championship match to be played in the new Pairc Uí Chaoimh and new banisteoir John Meyler has two choices here.

He can prime his team to lay down a marker, or he can keep something up his sleeve.

If he could manage to achieve both of those objectives he’d be delighted!

I am anticipating a game lacking real bite, with maybe both saving something, but having been impressed with Clare in the opening weeks, I can see them winning.

Deep in the bowels of Division 1B Limerick and Dublin meet in the Gaelic Grounds under lights on Saturday night. It might be time for the new Dubs to come out and play a little bit. Keep an eye on that one too.

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