Emmet Moloney writes for the 'The Irish Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

Now and again the Gods smile on the GAA. Last weekend’s results produced a Dublin-Cork football league final and that will have Croke Park rubbing their hands with glee, writes Emmet Moloney...

The Dubs are always good news as far as the GAA are concerned as they put bums on seats and in the Hill, while Cork are the All-Ireland champions and the second largest population centre in the country. So, we should have a full house for the football final.

What chances of something similar in the hurling? Well, we’ll find out this weekend. Unlike the damp squib that the last few years have produced, this spring there are still five counties in contention for a place in the final. There are about 50 possible eventualities – let’s see if we can get through them!

Kilkenny, with all their injury problems, lack of form, being written off, etc, will naturally fill one of those places. They are on nine points and only need a draw from their home tie against Offaly. It would be a brave and foolish man that bets against their handsome victory against a Faithful county that, by virtue of their head-to-head with Wexford, still remain in Division 1 next year.

That leaves us with four counties who have varying degrees of realistic opportunities to join Kilkenny in the decider. Galway are the only county that don’t need any help. A win for them against Waterford in Walsh Park will guarantee them a place in the final, but a loss knocks them out for sure. After that, we are into permutations.

The Dublin hurlers, for whom the men and women in GAA HQ will be praying, travel to Páirc Uí Chaoimh to take on the Rebels. Cork, as usual these past decades, don’t really take the league all that seriously. Of course they haven’t always had their full squad available for the league! But this year they have and after a couple of underachieving years, we would have expected them to make a decent fist of the league. But no, they appear to have identified one or two matches where they would make the serious effort (Kilkenny and Tipp) and the rest where experimentation and under-cooking was the order of the day. As a result, they slipped up against Wexford and are out of contention for a league final place.

So will they roll over against Anthony Daly’s side and do the decent thing? Unlikely, as this is their last match before taking on Tipp in the Munster Championship. The Dubs have been away for the week in between the last round, so they will be primed. They will reach the final against Kilkenny, a major step forward for them, if they beat Cork and Waterford do the decent thing and beat Galway on their home patch in Walsh Park.

Tipperary aren’t out of the equation either. Neither are Davy Fitz’s Déise. If Waterford beat Galway and Tipp only draw with Wexford, Waterford are through. If both Waterford and Tipperary win, then the All-Ireland champions go through by virtue of their five-point win over the Déise back at the start of March. However, if Waterford beat Galway, Tipp beat Wexford and Dublin draw with Cork, well then we are down to scoring differences and the need of a decent calculator! Ready for more?

Waterford reach the final if they beat Galway, Dublin are beaten and Tipp do no better than a draw at home against Wexford. Not going to happen. We could go on but let’s stop the speculation and look at the lie of the land. Who really wants and needs to be in a league final? Against Kilkenny, remember.

Tipp are All-Ireland champions and despite their new manager at the helm, do they need a blood-and-guts league final against the team who most want to beat them? This is the final Brian Cody is praying for. He’d like to plant a seed in Declan Ryan’s mind before a championship ball is struck in anger. Tipp can’t really avoid beating Wexford at home, can they? Probably not, but it wouldn’t break their hearts if they lost out to Galway or Dublin for that final place. After next Sunday, they have about six weeks to get primed for their Munster Championship opener with Cork.

Did the Rebels have an eye on that match? Strange that outside of the strugglers in Division I (Wexford and Offaly), Cork are the only other team not in contention for a final place. Conspiracy theorists take note.

Waterford are the defending Munster champions and aren’t out again after Sunday until June. A league final against the Cats would probably suit them in preparation for that game, but results will not. They might try to do Anthony Daly a favour, but the final appears beyond them.
It will all come down to Galway and how they present themselves in Waterford this Sunday. They were fairly shell-shocked after Tipp destroyed them in Pearse Stadium last Sunday week. John McIntyre had called on supporters to come out and see that game, one of those usual soundbites we hear now and again. I wonder does he regret that clarion shout. He’ll be smarting and they’ll be smarting. A win on Sunday would put all of that to rest and set us up with a good looking league final in Thurles.

Galway will be this year’s talking team. Again. With JC back in the playing squad, they have the beating of anyone on their day. The secret is making that day the one that counts. It would be no surprise if Sunday was the start of a good year from them. They’re the solid pick to join the Cats.

Of course the hurling preference would be for Dublin. A new county in a league final would add to the occasion greatly. They need those type of matches – finals against Kilkenny – to rubber-stamp the undoubted progress they are making. A league final would mean more to them than any county left in contention. On that basis alone, for hurling justice, I’d like to see them beat Cork and Davy to do Dalyo a favour.

Down in Division 2 Clare have to beat Carlow at home to set up a mouthwatering curtain-raiser to the “senior” final. How times have changed. Clare versus Limerick in Thurles as the minor match!To catch Emmet's latest column, get 'The Irish Farmers' Journal' every Thursday...