Cork, Galway and Waterford looking to kickstart their summer campaigns in crunch qualifiers

Brian Lohan will be quietly seething that wins over Waterford and Wexford have not propelled Clare deeper into the championship.

The draw plunged the Banner into the first round of Munster, and subsequently they were not granted a bye in the qualifiers. So despite two impressive wins over top-tier sides, either side of a controversial Munster semi-final defeat to Tipperary, they find themselves no further than the back door's second round.

The luck of the draw has not been kind to them.

So far, we have seen what this Clare team is about. They have been mightily impressive in patches across all three games. If they can maintain their peak for 70 minutes, the Banner could yet be big players in the race for the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

In contrast, Cork, Galway and Waterford remain somewhat unknown quantities.

The Rebels and Tribesmen come into Saturday's ties with just 70 minutes of championship action under their belts. The Déise, meanwhile, failed to put any doubts arising from the Clare loss to bed in a stuttering win over Laois.

So what can we expect from these teams? And can they prove that they are still contenders in the championship?

Cork requiring inspiration

Year two was the breakthrough season in Kieran Kingston's first stint at the helm of the Leesiders.

But Cork's summer has yet to get lift-off in 2021, after a tame performance against Limerick. While an eight-point defeat to the Treaty is no disgrace on paper, it was an underwhelming display.

Cork scored just 1-17 from 33 shots, and Kingston will know they must be both more efficient and creative with scoring chances if they are to go far this summer.

Much was made of their running game throughout the National League campaign, and they threatened against the Treaty at times. But a sustained attacking vibrancy was sorely lacking. When their goal-scoring form deserted them against Limerick, Cork looked a beaten docket.

Nonetheless, as seen during Kingston's previous tenure, there is no county quite like Cork to suddenly spring into life.

Hurling in the county is on an upward trajectory following the U20 All-Ireland title two weeks ago, and that shot in the arm could prove a springboard to senior success.

We know what levels we are going to see from Clare on Saturday, but can the same be said of Cork?

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Can Galway answer their critics?

The Tribesmen were the consensus number two team in the country coming into the championship, and were expected to bulldoze Dublin in the Leinster semi-final. A paltry return of just 1-14 against the Sky Blues has firmly changed that narrative.

But they have not turned into a bad team overnight. There were signs throughout the National League they are well-placed for an assault on the Liam MacCarthy, and Shane O'Neill will remain confident he can get a kick from his team.

Joe Canning, Conor Whelan, Cathal Mannion, Brian Concannon and Co will not misfire so badly again up front, but a significant improvement is required.

The westerners face a Waterford team against whom they scored 4-28 during the National League. But Liam Cahill will have learned from that afternoon from Salthill and also from the Dubs' shutdown of the Tribe attack.

If Galway are to rebuild their All-Ireland ambitions from the rubble of the Dublin defeat, they need an emphatic performance on Saturday afternoon. That needs to be spearheaded by their attack.

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Can Waterford click into gear?

The up-and-down nature of Waterford hurling has seemingly taken another turn this season.

This summer has resembled their 2018 and 2019 campaigns, more so than their 2017 and 2020 runs to the All-Ireland final.

The Deise were badly lacking energy in their opener against Clare. "That was one of the flattest performances of my reign here," Liam Cahill said afterwards.

A backlash was expected from the Suirsiders against Laois, one which never came.

So will this campaign go down as another lost summer for this talented Waterford group of players, brimming in potential? Or is it a case of early-season rustiness that will be shaken off with a win over Galway?

The stakes could not be much higher for these knockout hurling ties. For the winners, a summer of possibility lies ahead. The losers are facing a winter of regret, evaluation and possibly change.

Watch Waterford vs Galway and Clare vs Cork live on Sky Sports Arena from 1pm Saturday.