Galway county senior hurling champions St Thomas take on Munster and Clare champions Ballyhea on Saturday at Semple stadium in Thurles at 5pm looking for a tilt at the All Ireland club crown.
Ballyhea defeated Glen Rovers (Cork ) in their provincial final before Christmas, winning by 1-21 to 2-10, with Clare’s 2013 Hurler of the Year, Tony Kelly in tremendous form.
Kelly, who on his day is a truly stunning hurler, and one of the best in the country, lines out at midfield for his club and he hit five points from play in that final.
His potential clash with Galway's All-Star midfielder David Burke is one to really savour.
St Thomas team manager John Burke will also have his defence on red alert to nullify the threat of Ballyhea's leading scorer Niall Deasy, and Clare All-Star football nominee, Gary Brennan, who lines out at full-forward for the Clare champions.
St Thomas won the Galway county final last October - their second senior title after beating Gort by 1-11 to 0-10 with Sean Skehill scoring the key goal and county star Conor Cooney notching six points from frees.
The club also won the All-Ireland club title four years ago in March 2013 and that is a feat they are hoping to emulate this year with many new faces on their squad.
In order to beat Ballyhea on Saturday they will need big performances from goalkeeper Patrick Skehill, Cathal Burke, Shane Cooney, Fintan Burke, James Regan, Eanna Burke and Bernard Burke, and converted defenders Sean Skehill and Darragh Burke, who had a terrific club campaign in Galway, and county players Conor Cooney and David Burke.
There will be extra time if the game ends in a draw, and the game is live on TG4 with coverage starting at 4.30pm.
