John Horgan: Hurling badly needs Cork v Galway and Limerick against Clare to be crackers

It could be said that we are still waiting for lift-off in the All-Ireland hurling championship, maybe change that to the entire championship since it began back in April.

There is no doubt that we have not been experiencing some of the spine-tingling days of past years but hope springs eternal that the two All-Ireland semi-finals and final will compensate for some of what's gone on before.

There is a clamour in a lot of quarters for change, a change to the current format, the type of review that has enabled football to become much easier on the eye and providing the sort of entertainment that was longed for.

When the round-robin format in both provincial hurling championships was introduced eight years ago, it was lauded by all the game's followers every county was guaranteed four matches, five in the Leinster championship.

If a county finished in the top three their season was extended, if not, their season was over.

In the past, the current format would have been stretched over a longer period, the games would not have been so condensed and counties would have a longer season.

But the split season has decreed that can no longer be the case and it's all or nothing now in a much shorter period of time.

This season, in particular, because of the perceived sub-standard fare in a number of games, change is being sought again, counties that don't make it into the top three in their provinces given a further opportunity outside the province to be involved more at the business end of the season.

It has also been suggested that instead of three counties qualifying for the All-Ireland series it should be four.

In Munster, that would be four of the five going through.

If that came to be, the jeopardy that exists from one year to the next would be all but removed and we could have dead rubber games with no great appeal.

The current system is probably the best there can be, four or five championship games for every county in their provinces and if you are not good enough to be in the top three, then tough luck.

In the past, yes the far distant past now a county might get just one game, lose the opening round in your province and that was it.

Coupled with the national league, every county now gets at least 10 competitive games each season, greater opportunity for players to make the impact that they desire.

So many words have been penned in recent times surrounding Kilkenny's fall in all grades of the championship.

That was never envisaged when the Cats were lording it over everybody else and it used to be stated that if the county had two teams competing in the Leinster championship, they'd meet in the final.

Too much success anywhere can be taken for granted, the good times never ending.

Now there is an acceptance on Noreside that standards are not what they used to be, not enough being done at player development level, coaching, investment, facilities and so forth.

That situation can apply to a lot of counties and that can lead to a drop in standards and a gap developing that might not be easy to bridge.

Not that long ago, Clare got an almerciful hammering from Cork in the minor hurling championship, something like 40 points.

Immediately, there was a recognition that things had to change and quickly and there was a big effort put into better coaching structures, better planning, investment in the game, player development etc and it is now working the oracle at all grades in the county.

There is tremendous work going on everywhere from underage upwards but the game has become so advanced now that more professional guidance is required, more investment from Croke Park, etc in developing young players.

There is a gap developing between the Corks, Limericks, the elite counties, and at this point in time, it's those two counties that appear to be the two front-runners that won't easily be caught.

Galway and Clare this weekend, though, might have other ideas.

Kildare are a prime example of the gap that exists, they did ever so well to be included in this season's Leinster championship and performed well at times but the end result was what was expected, five defeats and a return to the lower tier of the Joe McDonagh Cup.

GAP

In counties like Carlow, Kildare, Laois, progress is being made and the hope exists that one day counties like those will be championship challengers. The answer, however, is probably a resounding no because in every code of sport gaps that exist are very difficult to bridge.

Across the water, it has happened that a club progresses from the fourth tier all the way to the Premiership but their fall can be greater than the climb.

It's inevitable probably that change will come to the inter-county hurling landscape at some stage but whatever transpires the status quo must prevail in Munster.

Okay, it didn't fire this season as it did over the past few years but it cannot be what we all want it to be every year, no lopsided encounters that we got this time, frenetic finishes, evertything in the melting pot on the final day of the round-robin.

That may not be always achieveable but in the main it is the one championship that has given us so much and will almost certainly continue to do so.

Over the next few weeks, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Clare have the opportunity to end the hurling championship season on the highest of notes and put all those perceived poor games that have taken place thus far into the outer regions of the memory bank.

There is plenty of spotlight on Clare next Sunday against Limerick because they struggled so poorly against the Shannonsiders and Cork in the province.

Very few if any expect a reversal of that result in Cusack Park when the Banner lost by 15 points to their neighbours but, at the same time, pride can be a mighty asset when the same two counties collide again and Brian Lohan will have his players primed for an almighty backlash.

The two Galway, Dublin encounters in Leinster this season had contrasting outcomes, Dublin defeating Galway at the round-robin stage only for the Tribesmen to reverse that in the provincial final when they trounced the team from the capital.

Cork, Limerick and Clare will be making their first championship appearance of the season in the big house. For Cork, it's a return to the venue where their last visit became the stuff of nightmares, it will remain as one of sport's great unexplainables.

You get those days in all sports and you just have to move on.

Galway are always a dangerous opponent in Croke Park and despite the paucity of the Leinster championship, they were the best by a long shot.

Nobody will underestimate them and Cork certainly won't. 

History in semi-finals between the two counties suggests that the hurling season may finally be on the launch pad, two epic semi-finals coming our way.