When that team is managed by Ger Loughnane, it's no longer so strange. Despite the coming of the great man, the jury was very much out on Galway and their prospects this year. Following the county's defeat by Wexford last Sunday, the jury may well be further out on them.

The result raised a host of questions, few of them easily or instantly answerable. Are Galway better off now than they were before the league started? Does Loughnane genuinely have a handle on his best team? While the result in Nowlan Park will be forgotten, and correctly so, should Galway end up winning the All Ireland, are some red lights flashing already? Can Sunday's result really be dismissed with an "ah sure, it's only the league", given that it was in Galway's interests to go as far in the competition as they could? And will Loughnane still be capable of bringing his predicted appetite for the challenge to the table if he's discovered his new charges aren't quite what he originally assumed them to be?

That last question isn't a hypothetical one. Looking at Loughnane on the sideline seven days ago, his body language was fascinating. The lack of it, rather. Whereas in his Clare incarnation he was a force of nature on the sideline, permanently up and down it, egging his players on, pucking every ball with them, here he barely moved a muscle. Yes, it could well be that he was keeping his powder dry for the bigger challenges ahead, nothing more. Yet I can't help wondering whether he's in total sync and harmony with his new surroundings.

A decade ago, when he was with his native county, it was different. The fit was perfect. They were Clare - he was Clare.

But now 'they' are Galway - yet he's still Clare. I'm not suggesting he feels like an impostor, but has he formed a proper bond with a group of players who aren't fellow countymen of his? If he hasn't managed that to date, will he ever? And is the very weight of his personality in the dressing room encouraging to the Galway players or intimidatory to them?

So many questions. So few answers.

Loughnane is entitled to have cause for concern in one specific area. We hear all the time about the great young players they have in Galway, but of late there's been precious little evidence of this in the context of intercounty senior hurling.

Ger Farragher, their best-known minor of recent seasons, made a name for himself in 2005 but was only a sub last Sunday. John Lee did well against Wexford but has much bigger tests to undergo.

There's an obvious contrast here with the situation in Kilkenny, where Cha Fitzpatrick and John Tennyson, both of them under-21s, played significant roles in last year's All Ireland triumph. Who and where are the Galway equivalents of Fitzpatrick and Tennyson? They certainly don't appear to exist up front, one department where fresh blood is badly needed.

Waterford will approach today's feature event in good heart. Although their supporters may have been frustrated by their defeat to Offaly at Walsh Park a fortnight ago, that loss has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Instead of advancing straight to the semi-finals, Waterford had the benefit of a quarterfinal outing last Sunday. They now face Cork with a degree of momentum and confidence behind them.

There's absolutely no reason why Justin McCarthy's men shouldn't bust a gut to try and win the league. As 44 years have elapsed since Waterford last did so, it's not a clever idea for the current team - the county's best since the heady days of the late 1950s and early '60s - to pass up the chance of a national title.

Unlike their neighbours to the west and north, Waterford simply don't do national titles. A National League success wouldn't necessarily yield a McCarthy Cup breakthrough. It definitely wouldn't prevent it, though.

The first half of last Sunday's game with Tipperary was desperately sluggish. Real league stuff. The second half, on the other hand, was hurled at nearchampionship pace and contested with fervour. John Carroll was unfortunate to be sent off as the tackle that landed him in the soup was hard rather than dirty, the kind of tackle that's been part of hurling for as long as any of us can remember. Waterford were all over the place in defence when Tipp came at them and were not much better in attack at times, with several players chasing after the same ball on numerous occasions. Still, they scraped through in the end. That aforementioned degree of momentum may see them through against Cork today.

Wexford supporters were thrilled with the county's fighting performance against Galway, not least because of the spirit shown. If Wexford don't hurl with enthusiasm and passion, they don't hurl at all.

John Meyler has done a tremendous job so far with what is still a work in progress.

Ponder this, moreover: Kilkenny, hot favourites to reach their third league final in a row, will someday lose a final or semi-final. Forgive me for hoping today is the day. And if it's not, Wexford fighting for every ball again will suffice for now.

Waterford versus Wexford in a league final? It would be just the shot in the arm hurling needs. Impossible? Impossible, as the ads say, is nothing.

lgrif"n@tribune. ie

This column was written prior to the death of Liam Griffin's mother, Jennie, on Thursday night. Ar dheis l�mh D� go raibh a hanam