Cyril Farrell believes that Galway and Clare will prevail in Saturday's All Ireland hurling quarter finals.
He expects a reaction from Henry Shefflin's side in the curtain raiser against Cork. The Tribesmen lost to Kilkenny by five points in the Leinster final two weeks ago. "It wasn't just the defeat that worried the Galway people and the management, it was their performance. They didn't seem to perform at all, no life in them so they'll be looking for a big one on Saturday. If you give Cork room to dance, they'll dance, especially in Thurles. Cork won't stop you from hurling, they'll believe that their brand is good enough to beat you. Galway will much prefer to play them, they won't be ground down like they were against Kilkenny. It will be more open and that will suit Galway. Galway need a big one to give Henry a lift because they left him down the last day."
Farrell reckons that Clare can recapture the form they showed in the Munster final. "You have to say that they're the dark horses of the championship. They came from nowhere really. They're all playing out of their socks. Young Ryan Taylor and David Fitzgerald at midfield are really blossoming, Wexford did well to come back against Kilkenny and qualify. They'll be delighted to have a crack at this. The flow seems to be with Clare at the moment."
He thinks that Tony Kelly is the best hurler in the country. "When you see Kelly floating around the pitch, up on his toes, like a gazelle, that's a sign he's in form. Hurling is at a very high level individually, the skill is unreal at the moment."
Listen back to the full interview with Cyril Farrell from Friday's Lár Na Páirce.
