Clonmel 1650, pure Irish lager, has teamed up with GAA stars, JJ Delaney, Diarmuid O'Sullivan and Brendan Cummins to bring hurling fans live commentary, analysis and opinion on all the Championship games through their 'Moments of the Championship' campaign. Follow @clonmel1650 and #Clonmel1650hurling

And then there were six.

With the provincial championships and qualifiers done and dusted for another year, we've reached the business-end of the All-Ireland hurling championship. On Sunday, all roads lead to Thurles for two mouth-watering All-Ireland quarter-finals.

Dublin meet Waterford in the first game at 2pm. That will be followed by the clash of Cork and Galway at 4pm. With All-Ireland champions Kilkenny and Tipperary awaiting in the semi-finals, it promises to be some afternoon of hurling.

While two close games are expected, Clonmel 1650 GAA ambassadors JJ Delaney and Brendan Cummins are both going for Waterford and Galway wins. If those results materialise, the semi-final line-up would be Kilkenny v Waterford and Tipperary v Galway.

Waterford suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of Tipperary in the Munster final, but JJ expects the Allianz League champions to get back to winning ways against the Dubs.

"I think they'll get over the line," the nine-time All-Ireland winning Kilkenny defender predicts.

"Having missed out on the Munster title, the target for Waterford now is to get back to Croke Park. They lacked a bit of cuteness against Tipperary, little things liking shooting from too far out came back to haunt them, but I'd imagine they will have learned from that.

"It will be interesting to see how they react to losing their first game all year and also to see how theyhandle being favourites. It's not something they're used to. The loss of Paudie Mahony with a brokenleg could also be felt."

JJ views Dublin - who played their league hurling in a higher division last spring - as dangerous opponents for Derek McGrath's young side.

"Dublin are coming off the back of a massive win against Limerick, so their confidence is high," he warns.

"They got their act together in the second half of that game and finished very, very strong. Paul Ryan gave an exhibition of score-taking, 'Dotsy' O'Callaghan came up with a big goal and Liam Rushe stoodup and was counted in the last five-10 minutes at centre back. They won't fear Waterford and will have Peter Kelly back, but I still think this game will be a bridge too far for them."

Brendan also expects the Deise to come through, but has concerns about how they will cope with the favourites' tag.

"Waterford traditionally wouldn't be comfortable with being favourites. Up until now, they have been underdogs in nearly every game, so this will be a new experience for them. There's extra pressure on them and it's knockout hurling from now on," says the five-time All Star goalkeeper, who will be co-commentating for RTE television on the game.

"Waterford will have to be careful. There will probably come a point in the game where they will takethe lead and will need to push on. That's going to be a big challenge in itself. If they get carried away or start jumping around the place, they'll be in trouble. They need a mature performance if they're going to clear this hurdle."

Dublin defeated Waterford in a challenge match three weeks ago, but Brendan doesn't feel that will have any bearing.

"The Dubs are here on merit. They came back from the dead to beat a Limerick team that was being talked up as All-Ireland contenders at the start of the championship. That was a great result for them after all the criticism they had received in the wake of their Leinster quarter-final replay collapse against Galway," he points out.

"But the problem with Dublin is they lack consistency. You don't know what Dublin team is going to turn up. Ger Cunningham has done a lot of chopping and changing since becoming manager, but still hasn't found the right mix. When they do get it right, they will take some stopping.

"When all is said and done, Waterford are the only team in the country to be beaten once and, for that reason, I think they will do enough. But they'll have to make a few positional changes to make their system of play more effective."

Both JJ and Brendan are of the opinion that Galway's ability to score goals will tip the balance in the other quarter-final.

"Cork have been keeping the goals out since Mark Ellis went to sweeper, but you'd wonder how they'll cope psychologically if Galway should score a couple of goals. Galway have the forwards to getgoals and will cause the Cork half backs lots of problems if they run at them," JJ says.

"I can't see Cork deviating from a system that worked well for them against Wexford and Clare. Bill Cooper was brilliant in midfield against Clare and Seamus Harnedy's switch to the full forward line has been a big bonus as well."

He continues: "Both teams have weaknesses that need to be addressed. Cork have to improve their shooting after hitting 20 wides the last day. And Galway need to be more competitive than they werein the Leinster final against Kilkenny. Galway should win by a couple of points, but I didn't think Cork would beat Clare either. Maybe they will prove me wrong again!"

Tipp legend Cummins isn't convinced by Cork's defence, despite their clean sheets against Wexford and Clare.

"I'm still not sold on Cork," the Poc Fada king admits.

"The likes of Aidan Walsh, Mark Ellis and Brian Murphy did well against Clare, but the Cork defence didn't come under any real pressure because Clare were more interested in defending than attacking.Even with their sweeper system, Cork will still allow the opposing attack to win primary possession. And if Galway have men running off the shoulder, I can see them getting in for goals.

"Galway will try and force Cork to play six-on-six at the back. Joe Canning is capable of stepping it up and Jonathan Glynn, Cathal Mannion and Jason Flynn are serious forwards too.

"If the Cork backs can't impose their will on the Galway attack, then they will have no business going up against Kilkenny or Tipperary. Galway have the better forwards and they're also showing a bit more consistency now, so I would tend to side with them for those reasons."

Clonmel 1650, pure Irish lager, has teamed up with GAA stars, JJ Delaney, Diarmuid O'Sullivan and Brendan Cummins to bring hurling fans live commentary, analysis and opinion on all the Championship games through their 'Moments of the Championship' campaign. Follow @clonmel1650 and #Clonmel1650hurling

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