There has been deserved euphoria around the quality and excitement of football in the last few weeks. In comparison, hurling has been underwhelming this championship, and overshadowed by the dominance of Limerick and Cork.So, this year’s semi-finals carry a heavy burden to try to reignite the interest of previous years but even if we get two cracking contests, I’m not sure it compensates for the more general lack of high-level competitiveness.I think Galway will meet their side of the bargain. They have been impressive all year, rising to the competition in the league with pugnacious displays against the big two, Cork and Limerick. They were also the first to point up the crisis in Kilkenny with a massive win in March.Their Leinster final victory was emphatic even if there were wobbles along the way. Maybe it was just teething problems but trailing Kildare by 12 at one point and then Wexford by 13 isn’t a good look even with the recovery priced in. Big wins over Kilkenny and Dublin don’t signify much at this stage, either.As with any improving team though, Galway bring freshness and energy. They’re awkward to play against with Cathal Mannion sitting back in the pocket and deploying Jason Rabbitte as a frequently solitary target up front but with a very lively Aaron Nyland buzzing around.The two have been outstanding during the championship, particularly Rabbitte. For a fella his age, he’s been able to win the ball and hold it up there, on his own in many cases until the runners are able to get there.Tom Monaghan is turning up in space. Darragh Neary has been impressive. Cian Daniels didn’t have his best game in the middle of the field in the Leinster final but he had been excellent up to that point.The key man is Rory Burke, for me the most impressive of all the Galway newcomers but I find it really hard to imagine how he could be right, even after four weeks, having suffered a reoccurrence of a hamstring injury in setting up the goal for Neary in the provincial final.Rory Burke of Galway is tackled by Ruairí Kelly of Offaly. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho Daithi Burke was outstanding in the management of John Hetherton but Brian Hayes and Alan Walsh offer a more multi-dimensional threat than Dublin did and will threaten more.For all that Cork’s biggest injury loss was Ciarán Joyce at the start, Damien Cahalane has slotted in and the Downey brothers have been exceptional in the half-back line. In the Munster final, it wasn’t the defence that cost them on a day when the attack delivered no score from play after the 38-minute mark.What Cork do have is a strengthening panel in the front eight. The addition of Alan Walsh has added another prong to the full-forward line whereas the arrival of Hugh O’Connor to join Barry Walsh in the half forwards has added athleticism and physicality up front.They also have Tim O’Mahony and Tommy O’Connell to come back in that middle third.If I have a reservation, it’s the free taking. Alan Connolly’s style contains a lot of moving parts and it will be interesting to see how he copes with the swirling wind that gusts around Croke Park.Galway will turn up and they have a great record in the fixture. Micheál Donoghue has done outstanding work as usual setting up a new combination to play to their best but it will take too much to overturn an improving Cork.Clare manager Brian Lohan is juggling an injury crisis. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho On Sunday, it’s a pity that Clare and Limerick finally get to play in Croke Park when Brian Lohan is juggling an injury crisis.Limerick also look formidable. They have won all three competitions they entered this year. The players who looked drained last year, getting beaten by 14-man Dublin, look fully restored: Diarmuid Byrnes, Gearóid Hegarty, Kyle Hayes.Peter Casey is back making major contributions, like the winning of the Munster final. After prolonged injury, Darragh O’Donovan has been immense as their orchestrator. Nickie Quaid in goal has been taking man of the match plaudits.The younger generation of Adam English, Shane O’Brien, Aidan O’Connor – even though his free taking can be questionable, and although he’s another hamstring doubt – and Cathal O’Neill, have come of age.This was the top rivalry in hurling a couple of years ago but Clare tended to blow themselves out in Munster and having to cope with All-Ireland quarter-finals two weeks later. When they eventually won Liam MacCarthy, Limerick didn’t reach the final.Limerick’s Aidan O'Connor against Cork in the Munster final. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho This generation of players have been going to extra time with one another from under-21 all the way up, to Fitzgibbon Cup, league quarter-finals in the Gaelic grounds, and Munster finals in Thurles. They have some history.I hope Thomas Walsh enforces the rules this weekend rather than earn plaudits for ‘letting it flow’ at the risk of licensing foul play.In the round-robin hammering by their neighbours though, Clare’s defence came completely unstuck. They made changes against Tipperary and reverted to veteran stalwarts John Conlon and David McInerney, who were outstanding in easily the team’s best performance since winning the All-Ireland.The very visible injuries picked up by McInerney and Conor Cleary, in the quarter-final cast a shadow on their prospects. There was also the terrible injury picked up in the last match by David Reidy, one of the team’s reliable subs, which hospitalised him.I don’t doubt that Clare will have all guns blazing but there has also been anxiety about the form of two kingpins, Shane O’Donnell and Tony Kelly, and Mark Rodgers is recovering his best form after a head injury against Tipperary but they are well capable of rising to Croke Park. Even with a full muster, it probably wouldn’t be enough.