And then there were eight!
By Shane Brophy
When championships get to the quarter final stages is when the action gets serious and the remaining teams can realistically dream of winning silverware come the finals next month.
In terms of the senior hurling championship with Thurles Sarsfields and Nenagh Eire Og having made their exit in the preliminary quarter finals, it is as wide open as it has ever been with all eight teams harbouring realistic claims that if they can bring their ‘A’ games in three consecutive matches they can be lifting the Dan Breen Cup on Sunday 23rd October.
The clash of Drom & Inch v Loughmore/Castleiney is the tie of the round and gets the action underway on Saturday week at FBD Semple Stadium, and will have live coverage on RTE. Drom have been the form team of the group stages so far but Loughmore remain unbeaten despite being short John McGrath and Ed Connolly, with their only defeat so far being in the Mid Championship to Drom.
This will be followed by the all-North clash of Kilruane MacDonaghs and Toomevara. Kilruane will be favourites, but Toomevara will relish the role of underdogs and will feel getting to a semi-final is within their grasp.
The second set of quarter finals on the Sunday will be notable in many ways. Firstly, Mid rivals Upperchurch/Drombane and JK Brackens will meet in a county senior quarter final for the second weekend in a row as they meet in the football this Saturday, and any carryover from that game will bring added spice for sides chasing rare semi-final appearances.
Then comes the clash of Kiladangan and Clonoulty/Rossmore, as the latter return to Semple Stadium to play for the first time since the tragic death of their captain Dillon Quirke last month.
It spearheads a busy weekend of knockout action with no fewer than twenty games scheduled from senior to junior in quarter finals and relegation playoffs, and could be added to after the results of the football championship games next weekend which could open the door for more games to be scheduled.
However, there won’t be any quarter finals played that weekend in intermediate hurling as the line-up for the last eight cannot be confirmed until the second preliminary quarter final between Boherlahan-Dualla and Kilsheelan/Kilcash is played as it cannot be played next weekend because of Kilsheelan being in senior football quarter final action. It means the likes of Borrisokane, Lorrha and Moneygall have to play a waiting game.