For a third time in the space of a month, Ballyhale Shamrocks will be back in Croke Park.
Despite suggestions that their pending AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship semi-final would be heading to Wexford Park, the GAA confirmed on Tuesday after that Croke Park will indeed host both semi-finals on Sunday week.
Pat Hoban’s side survived a huge second-half scare from Kilmacud Crokes on Sunday last to claim a record-breaking fourth successive Leinster senior hurling title, their 12th in all, and a semi-final date against Munster champions Ballygunner.
The repeat of last year’s All-Ireland senior club hurling final gets the go-ahead as the second game of the day at GAA headquarters with St Thomas’ (Galway) taking on Cúchulainns Dunloy in Croke Park from 1.30pm, Ballyhale and Ballygunner throwing in at 3.30pm.
Both games will be live on TG4 and we’ll be there always to bring you full coverage with a buildup from 3.20pm on Sunday week.
For World Cup fans however, the game presents something of a conflict with the final fixture in this year’s tournament in Qatar slated for a 3pm kick-off. While we doubt there’s any chance that FIFA would move the game out to 7pm, we know there’s nowhere else we’d rather be than wrapped up warm on the seventh floor of the Hogan Stand calling what could potentially be the hurling game of the year.
