By Michael Devlin

Galway's strength in depth could be key to winning a second consecutive Liam MacCarthy Cup, according to Tipperary great Brendan Cummins.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s hurling semi-final clash with Clare at Croke Park, Cummins believes Micheál Donoghue’s men have the experience within their extended ranks to go on to secure back-to-back titles.

Galway were able to bring Conor Cooney and Jason Flynn off the bench to see off Kilkenny by seven points in the Leinster final replay, and Cummins believes their willingness to step in when called upon, rather than sulk, is a sign that the Tribesman are building a strong team ethos that could rival the great Kilkenny teams of recent times.

“There’s no egos in the Galway team, it’s just a process, and you plug in and you win the game. They’re looking to create a legacy at this stage, and all credit to Donoghue and how he’s turned it around. There’s no individuals anymore, it’s a team, and they’re getting their rewards now.

“Flynn has come in, Niall Burke has come in and out, and it’s numbers 18 to 30 that win All-Irelands, whether it’s the first year, second year-in-a-row, three-in-a-row, four-in-a-row, because they’re putting the pressure on and that’s what’s impressed me the most.

“There’s been no talking out of school, they’ve just went about their business, and it’s hard to manage. [Brian] Cody has been able to do it, we weren’t able to do it. It’s the real mark of a good setup.”

Cummins singled out Galway 'keeper Skehill has a prime example of the type of determination and resolve that has been forged in the Tribesmen’s winning team.

The Cappataggle man has seized his chance between the posts this year following a series of injuries to last year’s regular number one Colm Callanan, and though Cummins has described the changeover as “seamless”, he believes Clare may want to test out his big game nerves with some challenging high balls into the danger area early on.

“It shows the belief that’s been instilled. When [Anthony] Cunningham was there, he looked completely out of favour, but he’s come back now under Donoghue and he’s shown that he’s able to do the job.

“But again it’ll be a big challenge for him coming into Croke Park, and one that Clare will probably look to maybe target, in that he’s the freshest face and will probably be under the most amount of pressure.

“When you’re part of a team trying to win an All-Ireland, you may feel like you have to do something to justify being there, and as a goalie if you go chasing a game that can cause mistakes. So it’ll really test his mental toughness here at the weekend that he just fits in and doesn’t want to be the main man for all the world, just part of the jigsaw.

“If I was Clare, early on I’d be looking to put a few balls in over the top and test his decision-making. His catching and handling will all be fine, but it’s that ball that goes over the top – ‘do I come or do I leave it to Daithi Burke’ - that corridor of uncertainty.

“Kilkenny were deadly at it, [Henry] Shefflin would be into the edge of the square, he’d come out and ball would come in over the top, and myself and Paul Curran would be standing looking at each other. They were really good at testing early day nerves in the full-back line, and if communication isn’t right and you’re not clear thinking, a goal can happen very early and you can lose momentum.”

Looking onto Sunday, Cummins thinks Limerick’s Nicky Quaid is another keeper who can really prove himself on the big stage and take his place among hurling’s goalkeeping elite. The Effin clubman established himself as the Treatymen’s first-choice goalkeeper in 2013, a successful year that yielded a Munster medal following a 0-24 to 0-15 defeat of Cork in the final

“He will feel he’s due a big game in Croke Park. He’s been there and thereabouts, and for me hasn’t made the breakthrough like Eoin Murphy or Anthony Nash. He doesn’t roll off the tongue as being a standard bearer for the new generation of goalkeepers. He’ll be feeling he’ll need a big performance here, and Limerick will need it if they’re going to jump the fence.

“I like Limerick. If they can keep in the game early and not let it become a tournament game. Cork love pinging balls around and into space, but if you stop runners like Waterford did, and shut it down and turn it into a dogfight, you test whether Cork have the aggression or the anger to push on.

“They’ve way more about them now than they had in 2014. Morrissey and Hegarty and those lads, Flanagan inside on the edge of the square, he’s been like ‘X factor’ for them I think, he’s like Lar Corbett, you don’t know what he’s going to do next.

“Cork at three and six, teams have been getting at them, but Harnedy and Horgan and Lehane have been doing damage up at the other end. I know the object of the game is to outscore, but Cork don’t seem to mind conceding 23 points, they’ll say ‘we’ll score 26’. But I think that might catch up with them at some stage.”