GAELIC GAMES ALLIANZ NATIONAL LEAGUE FINALS:AFTER SO many false dawns this finally looks like the season when Galway hurling's potential will be hardest to deny.

This is borne out by their progress to Sunday evening’s Allianz National Hurling League final against Cork in Semple Stadium.

They have thrived without their Portumna contingent, making the return of the defeated All-Ireland club finalists a bonus for the Tribesmen rather than the necessity of previous years.

“They were in a very strange place because they are not used to losing finals,” said Galway manager John McIntyre.

“We gave them 10 or 12 days off. Out of respect we felt it was the best and fairest thing to do. They were feeling sorry for themselves. They are a very ambitious group of young men.

“They are the best club team I have ever seen, notwithstanding the fact that Ballyhale beat them on St Patrick’s Day. It took them a while to get their heads around the fact that they are no longer All-Ireland club champions, that they were no longer the best club team in the land, that Ballyhale had earned that right.

“Having said all that, the fact that they weren’t there gave us the team management an opportunity to look at fringe players and see were they capable of stepping up to the mark.

“Thankfully most of them were. We will be picking our strongest available team on Sunday. We won’t be hedging our bets.”

McIntyre highlights two seminal moments that have defined Galway’s league campaign to date. The first was the failure to react accordingly when Tipperary came at them in the third quarter and how they dealt with that defeat before reacting differently when Kilkenny tried a similar mugging. They beat the All-Ireland champions 2-21 to 1-23.

The regular season defeat of Cork is deemed irrelevant as both teams shuffled the deck, having already secured their places in Sunday’s final in Thurles.

“Now that we’re in it we want to win it,” said McIntyre. “There will be no holding back. It’s ideal preparation for the championship. Otherwise we’d be going around scrambling for a challenge game against somebody somewhere. I believe the players are positioned to give a good account of themselves.

“Regardless of the result the bottom line is that we want to see Galway producing a performance that gives us momentum going into the championship. If we win it, all the better. I expect it to be a very competitive game. Cork have regrouped extremely well this year. They were in a very difficult place 12 months ago.

“The timing could have been better from Denis Walsh’s own perspective. Three or four days after he took the job he went down to Nowlan Park to play Kilkenny in the league. They didn’t spare Cork that day. Having said all that, despite the fact that in theory Cork’s preparations were way behind the other counties, they weren’t disgraced by Tipperary.”

Galway’s main injury concern is Niall Healy, who limped out of a club championship game for Craughwell last weekend, with a damaged ankle.

Fergal Moore was back playing for Turloughmore while Joe Canning is available for selection after some recent wear and tear.

“It’s a risk you run,” said McIntyre.

“You can’t wrap up your players in cotton wool and you have to cater for the clubs in Galway as well.”

Cork are without dual player Eoin Cadogan due to a stress fracture that leaves him unlikely to feature against Tipperary in the Munster championship in four weeks while reserve full-back David Cunningham is also a doubt.

Butt Shane O’Neill should recover from a twisted ankle, meaning manager Walsh will have to deploy someone unfamiliar with the nuances of manning the square’s edge.

“We have a lot of experience among the players there so it is a matter of moving guys around, just shuffling slightly,” said Walsh.

“They have the experience to do that. During the league fellas might have been wondering why was I or the management playing certain players in certain positions, we are going to find out on Sunday now.”

Wexford manager Colm Bonnar must do without Keith Rossiter (ankle), Paul Roche (groin) and Willie Doran (dislocated elbow) for the Division Two final against Clare.

Tomas Waters has yet to regain full fitness after a long-term absence and Colin Farrell is struggling with a strained hamstring. Eoin Quigley has returned to full training.

Meanwhile, Tyrone football captain Brian Dooher has returned to full training with the Tyrone squad for the first time since last August. Dooher has recovered from a series of injuries, and is now in the frame for an appearance against Antrim in the Ulster Championship opener on May 23rd.

However, Conor Gormley will not make the opening championship fixture due to a knee injury.

“Unfortunately it’s going to take at least two months to get him sorted out,” said Harte.