Mayo, Dublin, Cork and Limerick deciders will take centre stage in a blockbuster weekend of action.

Four finals, four different stories, one familiar truth: reputation counts for nothing once the ball is thrown in.

Na Piarsaigh may be chasing a tenth Limerick crown, but Kilmallock’s consistency makes them dangerous opponents. In Cork, Nemo Rangers have pedigree and momentum, yet St Finbarr’s have rediscovered their bite at precisely the right time.

In Mayo, Castlebar Mitchels bring the weight of 31 titles to the table, but Garrymore have waited 44 years for another triumph and arrive with a team capable of making history.

Then there is Dublin, where Cuala and Kilmacud Crokes have the players to dream beyond the county boundary; neither will want to surrender the first prize on offer.

Four counties, four compelling contests, and no shortage of reasons why history may prove a poor guide to what happens next.

LIMERICK HURLING FINAL

Kilmallock vs Na Piarsaigh, Sunday, Gaelic Grounds, 3.45pm

There is an assumption - because they have been so dominant for so long - that Na Piarsaigh were always the establishment in Limerick hurling.

Not so. Until 2011 they had never won a county championship. They now have nine and aim to make that 10 when they face Kilmallock tomorrow in the Gaelic Grounds.

All of which suggests this is a foregone conclusion. It is anything but as Kilmallock have made it to the semi-final stage of the Limerick championship in each of the last 15 years.

“With all the teams it's a great familiarity,” said Na Piarsaigh coach Tomas Downes.

“They will know us inside out the same way as we know them so very familiar opponents.”

This is Kilmallock’s first final since 2022 - and their last title came the year before that. Underdogs, yes. Unproven, no - quite the opposite in fact. This is no foregone conclusion.

Nemo Rangers vs St Finbarrs, 4pm Sunday, Pairc ui Chaoimh

This is the second year in a row these teams have met in the decider.

Nemo are seeking to avoid defeat in the Cork final for a fourth straight year - the interesting angle being that in their entire history prior to this sequence of defeats, they had only ever lost four finals.

What helps is the pedigree of their manager. Robbie O’Dwyer’s old man won a thing or two in his coaching career - just the eight All-Irelands with Kerry and then the three Leinster titles he gathered with Kildare and Laois.

Now Micko's son is making his own name. Form wise, Nemo have hit their straps with Ross Corkery also a chip off the old block - as his father, Colin, was as natural a forward as Cork have ever produced.

The Barrs, as defending champs, were lucky to get out of their group after losing to Carrigaline and Mallow. Only for scoring difference, they would have been out.

Since the knockouts, though, they have played better. Brian Hayes and William Buckley - more renowned for their hurling careers - are two of their main men, while Steven Sherlock remains their big scoring threat.

For the Barrs, there is unfinished business after the manner of their Munster final defeat to Dingle last year. Don’t be surprised if they add further misery to Nemo.

MAYO FOOTBALL FINAL

Castlebar Mitchels vs Garrymore, 3.30pm, McHale Park, Sunday

Castlebar Mitchels have won 31 Mayo senior football titles, Garrymore six. Reputation is a wonderful thing. Sometimes it is also a burden.

For a small rural club from South Mayo, Garrymore have a chance to prove that history belongs in the record books, not on the pitch.

They have serious depth. Enda Hession and Eoin McGreal are All-Ireland winners. But that is just the starting point. Jamie Oates, Colin Commins and Liam Óg Horkan have formed a formidable defensive unit, while Gary Golden and Aaron Hughes give them substance around the middle.

Up front, Andy Glennon, Cathal Slattery, Darren Quinn and Mark Gibbons offer scoring threat and an appetite for work. This is not a team waiting for Hession or McGreal to rescue it. It is a team with multiple ways to win.

Castlebar have the pedigree. Garrymore have momentum and 44 years of unfinished business. On Sunday, that may count for more than 31 titles.

DUBLIN HURLING FINAL

Cuala vs Kilmacud Crokes, 7.15pm, Saturday, Parnell Park

Dubbed the Clash of the Cash, each of these sides enter this game with similar history.

Both were unable to get past Na Fianna in the last three years. Now look at them. Never mind winning a Dublin championship, quietly they will be viewing an All-Ireland as something they are capable of getting.

County pedigree is everywhere - yet it may surprise you to learn that Crokes had as many as 10 players on the Dublin panel this year.

That’s a serious spread of talent - especially as Brian Hayes emerged as one of the country’s finest players in 2026. Four years have passed since they last won a county championship, six since Cuala did it. A full house is expected in Parnell Park. This could be the game of the weekend.

Ireland v Scotland, 6pm, Pairc ui Chaoimh tonight

When Ireland play Scotland tonight in a hybrid game of shinty and hurling, the first question many fans may ask is 'why?'

And the obvious answer is 'why not?'

Pairc ui Chaoimh may not be packed - but there is a real joy in realising that hurlers will get the chance to represent their country.

And there is also the valid point that Eamon O'Shea, the former Tipp manager, now in charge of Ireland, made.

"Whether there is 50,000 there or not, the reality is that there will be GAA people right across Ireland checking the score," said O'Shea.

You can't dismiss the importance of that.

Players have their pride - and a heavy defeat is not something any of them want on their CV.

But an international cap is. And the fact that the squad is selected from the underdogs as well as the hurling heavyweights - Christy Ring, Joe McDonagh and Lory Meagher players getting their chance - is a superb concept.

Geography can discriminate against a great hurler. Only for the county boundary, an absolute jewel can be denied the chance to win hurling's biggest prize. This is compensation for those who ply their trade away from the bright lights.

"There is absolutely no doubt that there are some exceptional players right across the country," says O'Shea.

"Could they make it in teams competing for the Liam MacCarthy? The answer is undoubtedly yes.

"Look across all the top counties. They have had players who have come from junior clubs and once you have the drive, and you get exposed to good coaching, and get to play alongside great players, of course you will improve."

Tonight all bar eight of the Irish squad get an opportunity to prove themselves.

So a pointless exercise?

Try telling that to the players who will hurl for Ireland tonight. For some, this will be a career highlight. For all of us, it is a worth tuning in for.