Connacht

Galway

Strengths: Good supply of players, lively attack, developing confidence after League success, qualify straight for the All-Ireland stage, relatively little (although increasing) pressure of expectation.

Weaknesses: Lack of championship practice, questions about defence, management which takes the media more seriously than the media takes itself, miserable supporters who make the farming community sound upbeat.

Prediction: The Auld Lang Syne of hurling previews: "This should be the breakthrough year when Galway win their first quarter-final since the championship was reformed." Altogether now.

Leinster

Preliminary pool

Carlow

Strengths: General improvement in league. Currently benefiting from the missionary work of Georgie Leahy's Ministry of Hurling. Nearly beat Dublin.

Weaknesses: Didn't beat Dublin. Or Laois. Are now eliminated.

Prediction: An encouraging year which will be judged on whether or not they can achieve promotion next week and bring the magic back to Carlow hurling.

Dublin

Strengths: Rumours of some fine young hurlers. Management of highly-regarded hurling guru Michael O'Grady. Nearly beat Wexford last year. Should benefit from extra matches in the round-robin system.

Weaknesses: Poor recent performances. Low morale. Defection of Shane Ryan to the footballers. Lingering scars from the time they were a bit cocksure against, ummmm, Kilkenny.

Prediction: Hard to see them getting past Laois in the pool shoot-out next week. Will soon be moaning about the curse of the pool system.

Laois

Strengths: Executive clear-out in the nick of time. Return to the coaching helm of Pat Critchley, the Jim Morrison of hurling management (hence the missing OIS in LA Woman). Niall Rigney back in action.

Weaknesses: Short space of time for new management. In Laois the doors of perception don't open outwards. Radical new preliminary pool has revolutionised their championship, which means they should end up playing . . . Kilkenny.

Prediction: Kilkenny will be one storm they won't be riding out. Ah, progress.

Westmeath

Strengths: Like Carlow, they've had an improved league campaign. They have two matches at home and don't have far to travel to the other one.

Weaknesses: Like Carlow, they have somewhat further to travel to make a championship impact. Eliminated now, actually.

Prediction: Like Carlow, the league will be the measure of their progress. Like Carlow, that will have to do for now.

Semi-finals

Kilkenny

Strengths: Some new faces, sound management, the whiff of vengeance. They'll surely be back to put right losing two finals. The last time they lost two on the trot, they won the following year's All-Ireland. Must mean something.

Weaknesses: Players are jumpy in All-Ireland finals. Last year they came back to put right losing one final and then lost another. On other occasions when they lost two successive finals, they didn't even reach the following All-Ireland. Must mean something. Damn stats.

Prediction: Very little between them and an All-Ireland last year. A reasonable bounce and they'll make it third time lucky. One good internal row and they're in trouble.

Offaly

Strengths: Extraordinary talent. Intuitive teamwork. Loads of experience. Sensible about the dangers of over-training.

Weaknesses: Temperamental midlanders. Sometimes refuse to come out of the trailer. Seldom heard shouting: "I'm ready for my close up now Mr de Mille." Security of tenure has made them fat. Too sensitive about the dangers of over-training. Some of the younger players overly interested in the US.

Prediction: Back-door visa job. With a new generation of hurlers rising in other counties, Offaly will find the going tougher and tougher. All-Ireland semi-finalists or quarter-finalists depending on the draw or the mood.

Wexford

Strengths: Familiarity with opponents. Experience of big time. Fresh management team. Impressive body-building programmes.

Weaknesses: Sense of decline pronounced during the league. May be about to get sand kicked in their face. Too dependent on Tom Dempsey and Martin Storey. Trying to get on with fresh management team. Making the weight. Could be back to the days when they gave away more big ones than Frank Dunlop.

Prediction: Robbed by Offaly in 1998. Battered by Offaly in 1999. The new millennium promises another victim impact report from the south-east as the counties meet for the seventh successive championship next month.