GAELIC GAMES:There's every possibility these semi-finals will be very competitive with even the chance of an upset – certainly in Munster, writes NICKY ENGLISH

WATERFORD ARE Munster champions, playing a Division Two side, Limerick, and Kilkenny are Leinster champions, playing a county that escaped Division Two by the skin of their teeth. On the face of it, it’s going to be a favourites’ weekend.

The bare details don’t, however, take account of the underlying influences and I think there’s every possibility that these matches will be very competitive with even the chance of an upset, certainly in Munster.

Waterford won the Munster championship last year and the perception is they had a good championship. This year they’ve introduced new, younger players during the league and in many people’s eyes they’re contenders to kick on and improve on last year.

I saw them play a couple of times and they created a good impression. In Thurles when down to 13 men they were still competitive even though missing John Mullane and the De La Salle players. Darragh Fives in defence and Paudie Mahony in the forwards looked good prospects. Tomorrow will be a tough test, though and it will be interesting to see the impression they will have created by the end of the match. Last year they were over-reliant on Mullane and he was outstanding for them throughout. Against Tipp in the All-Ireland semi-final he did some damage to Paddy Stapleton but the forwards as a unit weren’t as impressive as in former years.

They need to share the burden with Mullane, which means Maurice Shanahan, Mahony and Brian O’Sullivan have to come through. That’s a big ask for inexperienced players, coming into a forward line that’s not proven and has to step up. Complicating things further the Limerick defence is by far the most experienced part of their team. Waterford have a new central defence. Brick Walsh is still there but Wayne Hutchinson starts at full back. It was noticeable how easily Tipperary opened up Waterford in last year’s semi-final even allowing that the deployment of Walsh was asking for trouble.

Limerick play one of their debutants, Richie McCarthy, at centre forward and he’s unlikely to have the experience and confidence of Noel McGrath so Waterford probably won’t suffer as much as they did last year even if Walsh continues to stay back and concede shots. But if Waterford persist with that game, McCarthy will get chances.

Donal O’Grady’s a proven coach and has improved all teams he’s been involved with. I read his comments that a recent challenge against Dublin had been a major education, which emphasises how big a step up this is for Limerick even if they’re coming with a bit of confidence after a successful league – although at a significantly lesser standard.

Certain things did impress me in the Division Two final. Clare looked the more skilful team but it was the first time in a while that I’d seen a Limerick side with a distinct edge in both fitness and desire as well as demonstrating method. Ultimately they overcame Clare. There’s a good mix of experience and younger players on the team but Declan Hannon will be a big loss, as he had been scoring regularly for them and delivering on what is a considerable talent.

Limerick shouldn’t win after playing in Division Two but they’ve traditionally done well against Waterford regardless of what their relative standings are when they play. They did a big job on them in the All-Ireland semi-final four years ago.

One worry I’d have from a Waterford perspective is that they looked needlessly on edge for most of the league match against Tipp and will need more composure in the championship. This is a huge match. The winners are in a Munster final and an All-Ireland quarter-final. Donal O’Grady’s already had a successful season, reaching his number one target by getting out of Division One. They’re waiting in the long grass.

Waterford should win this but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they didn’t.

I remember going back to the time of the Hurling Development Committee, one of the ideas we frequently discussed was getting big games into provincial venues. This evening’s Leinster semi-final has far more appeal in Wexford Park than if it had been played in Croke Park even though on the face of it there’s no logical reason to believe that Wexford can get something out of Kilkenny.

They did turn it around in the league after being beaten by Offaly, which looked like it had pushed them through the trapdoor. But not for the first time they took points off Cork in Wexford and then got an unlikely draw from Tipperary. They also had to negotiate what might have been a dangerous game against Antrim and they dealt with it well.

They’ve become more traditionally physical – in my experience they always were but not in more recent years – and have nothing to lose. If there’s any kink in Kilkenny, and the league suggested there might be, Wexford Park won’t be an easy place to get out of in one piece. This will tell us a good bit about how Kilkenny have recovered after the league final and to what extent the return of Henry Shefflin and Michael Fennelly will reignite their challenge. As with Tiger Woods, the air of invincibility has dissipated in the last year.

In the league Wexford got within five points and on the face of it the gap between Kilkenny and the rest has been closing and the fear factor has definitely diminished after their league final beating by Dublin.

On the other hand, whenever they have been threatened in the past 10 years they’ve come out gunning for action. The question is how much is in the tank and can the newer players like Colin Fennelly lift the team? I thought Fennelly’s energy levels looked reduced in the league final and you’d wonder what training schedules Kilkenny were working with at that stage of the year.

You have to hand it to Henry Shefflin. He took a major chance with his knee and the risk of doing it further damage in the All-Ireland last year and it’s great to see him back. He hasn’t a lot of practice under his belt and he won’t be expecting any favours in Wexford Park, which is a tight enough venue. What he will bring is a sense of authority and that will be invaluable on the frees which will bring a composure lacking in this area during the league final when three players had to be used. Anything he takes they’ll expect him to score. Kilkenny will be a lot better than in the league final and they will come through – but not without a fight.