Croke Park is a scene of maroon and red as Galway and Cork fans descend upon Dublin.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Galway manager Micheal Donoghue gives a fitness update on Daithi Burke and his thoughts on today's game.

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Cork boss Ben O'Connor gives his pre-match thoughts to BBC Sport NI's Mark Sidebottom

Tim O'Mahony and Tommy O'Connell return to the Cork team for this afternoon's All-Ireland semi-final.

Both picked up injuries in the Munster final defeat by Limerick and missed out on the quarter-final victory over Offaly two weeks ago, but return for today's last four clash where they will form the midfield partnership.

That means team captain Darragh Fitzgibbon moves to wing-forward with Brian Roche and Hugh O'Connor on the bench.

Galway manager Michael Donoghue makes two changes from the Leinster final victory over Dublin with Rory Burke - injured in the first half four weeks ago - absent and is replaced by Joshua Ryan who lines out at corner back.

Cian Daniels drops to the bench with Gavin Lee coming in at midfield.

In better news for the Tribesmen, Daithi Burke has been passed fit to start at centre-back, but may drop a little deeper.

Cork: Patrick Collins; Niall O'Leary, Damien Cahalane, Sean O'Donoghue; Eoin Downey, Robert Downey, Mark Coleman; Tim O'Mahony, Tommy O'Connell; Darragh Fitzgibbon (c), Shane Barrett, Diarmuid Healy; Alan Walsh, Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes.

Subs: Paudie O'Sullivan, Ger Millerick, Eoin Roche, Cormac O'Brien, Brian Roche, Hugh O'Connor, Robbie O'Flynn, Shane Kingston, William Bucklet, Seamus Harnedy, Barry Walsh.

Galway: Darrach Fahy; Joshua Ryan, Cillian Trayers, Darren Morrissey (c); Padraic Mannion, Daithi Burke, Ronan Glennon; Tiernan Killeen, Gavin Lee; Tom Monaghan, Cathal Mannion, Darragh Neary; Conor Whelan, Jason Rabbitte, Aaron Niland.

Subs: Eanna Murphy, Shane Morgan, Fintan Burke, Cian Daniels, Cianan Fahy, Conor Cooney, John Fleming, Sean Linnane, Cillian Whelan, Colm Molloy, Brian Concannon.

Image source, BBC Sport

Last year's beaten finalists Cork are out to reach a third successive final.

The Rebels finished top of the Munster Championship table with four wins from four games.

They then fell to an agonising 2-17 to 1-21 defeat in a thrilling final against the Treaty County at Pairc Ui Chaoimh as they missed out on the provincial title.

Ben O'Connor's side bounced back well to that loss and ruthlessly saw off Offaly 6-25 to 2-11 to win their All-Ireland quarter-final at Semple Stadium.

Galway finished second in the Leinster Championship winning four of their five games.

They suffered their sole defeat against table-toppers Dublin, but enacted revenge in the Leinster final.

The Tribesmen claimed a first provincial title since 2018 with an emphatic 4-29 to 4-15 win at Croke Park which also helped them secure their passage straight to the last four.

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Flanagan picked out Waterford and Tipperary, winners of the Liam McCarthy in 2025, as two talented sides who could have benefitted from a "backdoor" entry into the All-Ireland after their early exit from the Munster Championship.

He feels having them in an expanded All-Ireland SHC could make it a better spectacle.

"Tipp and Waterford, if they were to finish fourth and fifth and for the Munster Championship to carry on with whoever is in it but there is a backdoor for them to come back in (to the All-Ireland) after the fact are you telling me they wouldn't have had an impact? 100% they would, because they would have tweaked what they needed to tweak," he explained.

Current Wicklow manager Oisin McConville added that a format switch which would include more games can only serve to promote the visibility of hurling.

"You've got a loss less teams playing at the top level and we're crying out for more games," he said.

"It feels now the time for change. There is no way you can have Tipperary, Waterford Kilkenny and the likes not playing a hurling match from May at inter-county level, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever."

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Former Limerick hurler Seamus Flanagan says the format of the All-Ireland senior hurling championship "tweaks" similar to those made in football, which has been "reinvigorated" by a structural switch.

Only the top three sides from the Leinster and the notoriously difficult Munster Championships progress to the All-Ireland stage after the conclusion of both, meaning that for the remaining counties who don't make it through, their seasons are over in May.

Introduced in the football championship this season was the "backdoor" route for sides that lose a game in Round One or then in Round 2A if they won their first-round game.

Speaking on the GAA Social podcast, five-time Liam McCarthy Cup winner Flanagan believes that a new format of a similar ilk needs to be introduced next season to ensure hurling can stay relevant.

"I don't think you can have four teams coming out of Munster and three out of Leinster. There are tweaks you can make, look at the football championship. It's a masterstroke what they've done to reinvigorate it," he said.

"Football was always hurling's lesser cousin, but that was glossed over by how good Munster hurling was, it carried hurling and it's the first year in a long time you had one that was below par and it's opened up and people are seeing hurling for what it is.

"Football has the RFC (Football Review Committee) come in and they blew it out the water with the tweak. You still have the provincial championship and it means something, maybe less so in garnering you a position later in the championship, that could be looked at, but hurling could take a lot from that."

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Get ready for the first All-Ireland semi-final by listening to the latest episode of the GAA Social podcast.

Liam McCarthy Cup winners Seamus Flanagan and Jason Forde join Thomas and Oisin to look ahead to the last four ties and you can listen on BBC Sounds and on the BBC NI YouTube , externalchannel.

Forde, a three-time All-Ireland winner with Tipperary, including last year, reflects on his county's failure to get out of the Munster Championship this year, and discusses weighing up his options whether he will continue to play inter-county hurling.

Former Limerick player Flanagan talks about adapting to life after a career in the inter-county game which yielded five All-Irelands and an All Star.

BBC Two

You can watch Cork v Galway on Saturday and Clare v Limerick on Sunday live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two NI.

Today's semi-final will throw in at 15:30 BST at Croke Park, with BBC coverage starting at 15:15.

Sarah Mulkerrins will be joined in studio by former Galway captain and 2017 All-Ireland winner David Burke, Kilkenny's four-time winner Paul Murphy and Antrim's Neil McManus.

Mark Sidebottom will provide pitchside updates with special guest Dara O Briain, while Thomas Niblock is joined on commentary by former Clare All-Ireland winning midfielder Jamesie O'Connor.

Sunday's semi-final throws in at the later time of 16:00, with build-up to the game on the BBC starting at 15:45.

Neil McManus will once again join Sarah Mulkerrins in the studio alongside Seamus Flanagan, a five-time All-Ireland winner with Limerick and Tipperary's three-time winner Jason Forde.

Mark Sidebottom will be back pitchside with Dara O Briain and Jamesie O'Connor, while Paul Murphy joins Thomas Niblock on commentary.

There will also be in-play clips, reaction and highlights of both games on the BBC Sport NI website and app.

Something to get you in the mood!

Five-time All-Ireland winner Seamus Flanagan looks ahead to the first SHC semi-final between Cork and Galway at Croke Park.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of today's first All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship semi-final between Cork and Galway at Croke Park.

Beaten finalists last year, Cork are hoping to reach the decider again and go into the game as favourites after dispatching Offaly last time out in the quarter-finals.

Galway will look to spring a surprise in what has already been a good season for the Tribesmen, who claimed the Leinster title with a big win over Dublin, their first since 2018, which was also the last time they reached an All-Ireland final.

The game will be live on BBC Two NI and BBC iPlayer from 15:15 and we will have live text commentary and in-play clips so you don't miss any of the action.

Enjoy!

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