What a way for the Championship to start back.  Limerick’s thirty-six point haul against Clare has put them firmly in the driving seat and John Mullane joins Will Slattery, Michael Verney and Roy Curtis to look ahead to all the Championship action.

While empty stadiums have been something all of us have to get used to, it doesn’t lessen the pressure on the players and teams as they are all knock-out matches now and this weekend sees the Munster hurling semi-finals of Cork v Waterford and the hotly anticipated clash of Tipperary v Limerick while in Leinster it’s Dublin v Kilkenny and Galway v Wexford.

“To run out on the field, to run out to your own supporters…it's those few minutes before the match before the ball is thrown in that gets you going and obviously it’s all very surreal and it's going to take a couple of games to get used to,” says Mullane.

In the Football Championship, Mayo have a chance to forget about their League relegation with a win over Leitrim while in Ulster, two favourites in the province, Donegal and Tyrone, face off in Ballybofey.

But the big question still remains: can Dublin be toppled?  

Michael Verney certainly thinks so and is tipping Kerry to do it.
“Just with everything that has changed in the Dublin camp in the last twelve months and the absence of Jack McCaffrey and a lot of elder statesmen from the dressing room, the role of all these older guys within the panel was huge.  So Kerry will definitely sense that the door is ever so slightly ajar and the last two games have definitely suggested that they'll be able to go through that door if the opportunity arises.”

For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at:
www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/

The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

What a way for the Championship to start back. Limerick’s thirty-six point haul against Clare has put them firmly in the driving seat and John Mullane joins Will Slattery, Michael Verney and Roy Curtis to look ahead to all the Championship action. While empty stadiums have been something all of us have to get used to, it doesn’t lessen the pressure on the players and teams as they are all knock-out matches now and this weekend sees the Munster hurling semi-finals of Cork v Waterford and the hotly anticipated clash of Tipperary v Limerick while in Leinster it’s Dublin v Kilkenny and Galway v Wexford. “To run out on the field, to run out to your own supporters…it's those few minutes before the match before the ball is thrown in that gets you going and obviously it’s all very surreal and it's going to take a couple of games to get used to,” says Mullane. In the Football Championship, Mayo have a chance to forget about their League relegation with a win over Leitrim while in Ulster, two favourites in the province, Donegal and Tyrone, face off in Ballybofey. But the big question still remains: can Dublin be toppled? Michael Verney certainly thinks so and is tipping Kerry to do it. “Just with everything that has changed in the Dublin camp in the last twelve months and the absence of Jack McCaffrey and a lot of elder statesmen from the dressing room, the role of all these older guys within the panel was huge. So Kerry will definitely sense that the door is ever so slightly ajar and the last two games have definitely suggested that they'll be able to go through that door if the opportunity arises.” For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Join Michael Verney every week for a breakdown of the biggest talking points in the GAA world. Join us for interviews, club action and inter-county debates, with football analysts including Pat Spillane & Dick Clerkin and hurling insights from John Mullane, Pat Ryan and more from the Irish Independent family.

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What a way for the Championship to start back.  L…