Sunday will see the curtain raised on Waterford's tilt at the Muster hurling Championship.
The Déise head to Semple Stadium hoping to defy the odds and topple the defending Munster and All-Ireland Champions, Limerick.
The challenge has been made that bit tougher with Austin Gleeson, Iarlaith Daly and Shane McNulty all set to miss out on the opening fixture.
Speaking to WLR Sport this week, former captain Brian Flannery says Gleeson is a crucial player to be without when facing the all-conquering Limerick.
"There are players, and then there are players," said Flannery. "Austin is that special type of player that takes a lot of watching from the opposition and he can do - as we've seen in the past - the unbelievable talent that lifts those around him, that makes those around him play better. There is no doubt about it, he's certainly a loss."
Rumours - as they tend to do - have circulated all week that we may see some game time for Gleeson, whether that be a cameo role, or a 15-minute finisher performance remains to be seen.
Flannery points out that if it is to be a cameo role from the Mount Sion ace, there could be worse contributions from a player.
"One of the things from the league was, I think he played an average of about 20 minutes in the first three games and was Waterford's top scorer. That's the ability that he has. It wouldn't surprise me maybe if we see him listed in the 26. It would be hard to believe that he would be unable to play Sunday and would be fully fit for the following week."
WLR will be bringing you live commentary of the Waterford versus Limerick this Sunday thanks to George Corbett Skoda. We're on air from 1.45 with Kieran O' Connor and Eoin Murphy.
