And so it is..

Some of the same old familiar faces are there, with some new face & forces in the mix. While some of the old powerhouses of the game seem to be fading (for now at least) into the distance.

The old faces being Kilkenny (yes them again)& Tipp, to a lesser extent Galway, Waterford & Limerick. It seems the connoisseurs final of choice is still on, that of Kilkenny & Tipp. Both Galway & Dublin have been revelations in this year's championship.

Galway look more than ever to be serious contenders for Septembers biggest prize. With every game they play, they look more and more impressive. They seem to have become more of a gelled cohesive team. Although the presence of a certain mercurial Joe Canning in their ranks, doesn’t do any damage their chances. The Dubs under Anthony Daly have came on strides, they gave Kilkenny a serious test in the Leinster final, a final that had become more of a one sided training session in recent years. There a young, physical, fit, and more importantly talented team. I can easily see Dublin winning a Leinster final in the next 5 years, if they manage to stay on track.

Their resurgence of the Dubs has done a lot to help the image of the small ball game in the capital. Maybe the image of mad thick stick wielding cluchies, trying to kill each other for a tiny leather ball, is fading from their collective thoughts. Although the thoughts of the hill awash with the Dubs, during a hurling match,(chanting come on the boys in blue) does send shivers down ones spine. Plus the novelty of watching Dubs wielding hurls never fails to amuse.

Waterford to me, to quote Jamsie O' Connor are a 'beat docket', they seem to have gone slightly backwards & are relying too much on the talents of John Mullane & Michael 'Brick' Walsh. Eoin Kelly seems to have lost some of his previous edge & talent, as has Dan Shanahan, the loss of the inspirational Ken McGrath is also a major blow to their chances. Although I’m sure Davy Fitz will have them fired up big-time for the challenge of Galway.

Limerick are nothing special, a highly average team that just about survived the highly spirited challenge of (the mighty) Laois. Dublin should put pay to their hopes in the quarter-finals, but a chance for Limerick to have a crack at Tipp in the semis, should spur them on.

Cork have been very disappointing this year, and return to the drawing board with their tails between their (somewhat cocky) legs. Maybe they should concentrate more on actually trying to hurl, than constantly been distracted by their love for strike action & player disputes. The rebels look to be a spent force (in certain area's of the field), but it's always dangerous to write off Cork, I’m sure they'll be back to their best in the not to distant future.

Clare looked utterly shambolic against Galway in the qualifiers, for a proud team at times they looked like a poor junior team. The Banner's glorious past is fading fast, but again like Cork they should recover.

That leaves the dream final Kilkenny & Tipperary, the bookies favourites, the teams that are playing the most consistent & quality hurling. The juggernaut that is Kilkenny are on course for a historic 4 in a row. The only team that can stop them seem to be the highly talented, the endurance shy, mavericks of Tipperary. Whether Tipp can actually prove, they can play two halves of consistent hurling without nodding off in the 2nd half, remains to be seen.

There have been some quite murmurings that Kilkenny are a somewhat dying force, which is basically nonsense. True the black & amber haven’t been playing anywhere near the usual excellent standard. A standard that has seen them dominate the sport over the past decade. Brian Cody will undoubtley have his troops ready for whoever they meet in the semi-finals. It all remains to be seen who lifts this years Liam McCarty, but one things for sure it's been an exciting old route thus far.