Galway and Limerick renew their rivalry in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, with plenty of recent history between the two counties adding extra intrigue to the Croke Park showdown at 3:30 pm.

The last time Galway and Limerick met in an All-Ireland final was in 2018, when Limerick edged out the Tribesmen by a single point as they went in search of back-to-back Liam MacCarthy Cups.

Galway’s most recent All-Ireland success came a year earlier, in 2017, when they defeated Waterford in the final as Joe Canning finally got his hands on the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

Limerick, meanwhile, have continued to build a reputation as one of the most successful teams of the modern era. Under John Kiely, they have never lost an All-Ireland final in normal time, with their only final defeat during his reign coming against Cork in extra time in a Munster Championship decider.

The return of Cian Lynch provides a major boost for Limerick, while their full-back line of Sean Finn, Mike Casey and Barry Nash brings plenty of experience and quality. The decision to leave Dan Morrissey out of the starting defence was a major talking point, but Mike Casey’s experience could prove crucial against a dangerous Galway attack.

Galway will look to Connor Whelan, Jason Rabbitte and Aaron Niland to provide the attacking threat, with Kyle Mannion and Tom Monaghan offering further experience in the forward line.

The midfield battle could also prove decisive, with Adam English and Cian Lynch expected to go head-to-head with Gavin Lee and Tiernan Killeen.

Limerick possess plenty of firepower throughout their forward line, with Aaron Gillane, Shane O’Brien and Peter Casey offering a formidable full-forward unit.

Diarmuid Byrnes, Kyle Hayes and Barry Nash can all contribute from distance, while Aidan O’Connor has been one of the key players for Limerick this season, proving influential from placed balls and general play.

Geraud Hegarty is another player Galway cannot afford to lose sight of.

For Galway, the challenge is to produce a performance capable of overcoming a Limerick side with significant experience of winning on the biggest stage.

The Tribesmen will hope their exciting attacking talent can cause problems, but Limerick’s depth, experience and proven record in finals could once again prove decisive.

The question is whether the Liam MacCarthy Cup will head west to Galway or return to Limerick, where it has spent much of the last number of years.

Throw-in is at 3:30 PM in Croke Park

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