Five that could thrive in a compacted summer

IF a knock-out system is deployed for the football and hurling Championships, the effects on a shortened, intense summer could be electrifying.

Here are counties that could take advantage of extraordinary circumstances and go deep into the summer – and in some cases all the way.

FOOTBALL GALWAY

ONLY Cork have scored more than Galway’s cumulative 96 points after five rounds of the National League. And Cork are steaming through Division 3 while Galway compete against the country’s best in Division 1.

They have been the most exciting team of 2020, and their attacking style could prove irrepressible in a compacted summer.

CORK

THE sizeable shape of Kerry will stand between them and getting out of Munster. But given the trouble they caused their old rivals in the provincial final last year, and the obvious improvements they continued to make through the Super 8s, Cork are a team good enough to beat a stronger rival on a particular day.

DUBLIN

THEY could succeed in any format.

Leinster won’t be a problem, and they would be frightened of no one in a semi-final or final, either. They haven’t been for years, after all. The one difficulty could be in the still-emerging relationship between the players and new manager Dessie Farrell. HURLING CORK

THEIR League form was only soso, but do not underestimate the importance of Kieran Kingston’s return. He is hugely respected and has shown that he can improve teams, especially through trusting younger players. And in any revised draw for the Munster Championship, Cork would not fear any opponent. CLARE

THEY had made a highly impressive run through Division 1B of the League under Brian Lohan, and there were definite signs of a group that had been promising big things for years now moving towards delivery on that promise.

Coming unscathed through the Munster bear-pit could be the biggest challenge for a side like them.