Canning's View - Hurling Column August 5

At the outset of GAA Hurling Championship 2011 many observers found it hard to see beyond a Kilkenny v Tipperary final rematch for the third consecutive year.

In light of what we have seen to date that early season assessment could still come to fruition over 140 minutes of hurling to be played out over the next two weekends.

Undoubtedly the hurlers of Dublin and firstly Waterford will have something to say about that but there is no getting away from the fact that both of those counties are going to have their work cut securing a final day slot.

It has been a strange few weeks for Waterford hurling dealing firstly with the shock of their seven goal rout against Tipperary in the Munster final to bouncing back in style against Galway in Thurles in the semi-final.

The hope for them will be that their journey still has some distance to go but I believe they will be up against it this weekend when they renew rivalries with Kilkenny.

It’s now obvious that the Munster final set back was a fluke and this group of players deserves credit for the way they bounced back after it.

They restored pride and underlined the ability of this team to come out fighting when the odds are stacked against them.

Nonetheless, they face a different prospect this weekend at Croke Park when they lock horns with the Leinster champions.

While the spotlight fell on the competing quarter-finalists in the last number of weeks – both winners and losers – Kilkenny have prepared under the radar and away from the fanfare.

Crucially players like Henry Shefflin and Michael Fennelly, who have battled back from injuries, have had a number of weeks of good training under their belts and this will stand to them this weekend. I think Kilkenny will have learnt a lot from the Waterford game against Galway too.

Shane Walsh was isolated to good effect while Stephen Molumphy lined out in the corner which seemed to catch Galway out.

Brian Cody will have studied their line up and will have his side ready. Players like Tommy Walsh and JJ Delaney will do their usual covering job and crucially Kilkenny are unlikely to struggle to get possession around the middle which will allow them to establish a supply line to the forwards to test the Waterford backs and their full back line in particular.

It will be interesting to see if Henry Shefflin and Brick Walsh go head to head but I suspect that Kilkenny may use Shefflin on one of the less experienced Waterford defenders.

Waterford’s last round success could hardly be described as a shock but it’s fair to say I couldn’t see them producing the display they did on the day.

They will go into this game in a good frame of mind but they are facing a team on a different level and that should become apparent over the 70 minutes plus of hurling.

In many ways I think the second semi-final could mirror the first but that’s a story for another day.

Whether or not the possible ongoing domination of hurling by Kilkenny and Tipperary is bad for the game – if of course things work out that way - is probably something best left to discuss later in the year.

However the finals they have contested have been top quality and Tipperary in particular have had their wobbles and scares, most notably against Cork and Galway last year en route to their All-Ireland title.

Either way there is no point complaining about the levels set by Kilkenny and Tipperary. It’s up to the other counties to close the gap.

Of course in the background the debate rages about where now for Galway?

It’s a pertinent question after their quarter-final reversal and more significantly the manner of it.

There was a lot of criticism after the Dublin defeat and I for one never believed that the team was as bad as they looked that day.

However, after two good wins they were very flat against Waterford. I think we need to take a step back and review the whole scene.

One observation I would make is that the club championship should be coming to a complete standstill in the county – both for the benefit of club and county players – once the inter-county season is up and running.

The facts are that the county has not reached a semi-final since 2005 – and I was involved in efforts that fell short.

Tweaks and changes are required to ensure hurling is promoted and organised in the right way and while it is hard to put a finger on the shortcomings I am not bewildered by the disconnection between the underage successes and club victories with the shortcomings at Senior inter-county level.

That success simply doesn’t transfer over such is the gulf between those levels and senior inter-county.

A case in point is the relationship between Kilkenny’s underage teams and their senior outfit. While their minor and U21 teams have been very competitive they have not dominated to the extent that their seniors did.

Similarly Limerick found out that success at U21 level guarantees nothing at the senior grade.

There really is plenty to ponder in the close season but thankfully there is lots of action to look forward to before then.