The Leinster and Munster Senior Hurling Championship round robins will conclude this evening, with plenty still to play for. Only one team in each province has been eliminated, ensuring we will have an exciting conclusion to the group stage.
Galway and Tipperary are in prime position in each province, but neither are guaranteed a place in their respective finals. The top two in each group will advance to the final, while third place will see you through to an All-Ireland preliminary quarter final against one of the Joe McDonagh Cup finalists.
There are a number of different scenarios that could unfold, and we will take you through them below.
Leinster
Carlow have already lost all four of their games and will play in the Joe McDonagh next year.
Galway currently sit top of the group, having come away with five points from their opening three fixtures. A win or a draw against Dublin in their final game will ensure a place in the Leinster final, but there is a scenario that could see them drop out of the competition altogether.
If Galway lose to the Dubs, a draw between Kilkenny and Wexford would leave four teams tied on five points. That would mean it would all come down to scoring difference. With The Tribesmen currently sporting the worst scoring difference, and with this worsening due to a loss, they would finish fourth and be eliminated.
A win for Dublin would guarantee them at least third place in the group. It would also likely see them through to the final, unless there is a draw in the Kilkenny and Wexford game. That scenario would probably confine Dublin to third place, unless they defeat Galway by eight points or more.
Kilkenny have four points, meaning a win over Wexford would guarantee their place in the Leinster final. A draw would also secure their place in the final, regardless of the result in the other game.
A loss would be enough for them to finish third if Dublin fail to beat Galway.
Wexford need a win to guarantee themselves a place in the Leinster final. A draw would also be enough to reach the decider if Dublin beat Galway, but only by seven points or less.
They can still finish in third even if they lose to Brian Cody's side, but only if Galway beat the Dubs.
Munster
Having lost all four of their games, Waterford are out of the reckoning.
Tipperary are guaranteed a spot in the top three, having won all three of their games so far. A draw or a win at home against Limerick sees them through to the final.
Even if they lose, it would require Cork to beat Clare and 25-point swing in order to keep them out of the decider.
Limerick will likely book a final spot with a win over Tipp. It does not ensure them a place, but it would require Cork to beat Clare and an 18-point swing to keep them out. A draw would also be enough to reach the final if Cork lose to Clare.
If both Limerick and Cork draw their games today, Cork will go through on head-to-head.
Even a loss will realistically be enough to secure third place due to their superior scoring difference over Cork and Clare.
Cork will go through to the final if they beat Clare and Limerick fail to beat Tipp, a draw would also be enough if Limerick fail to win. If the All-Ireland champions do win that one, then Cork would have to win big and hope to overtake the sizeable gap between themselves and Limerick or Tipp in scoring difference.
Third place will be secured as if Cork do not lose to Clare.
Clare have a minute chance of reaching the Munster final due to their poor point differential. They would need to beat Cork, hope Tipp beat Limerick and somehow overturn the 60-point scoring difference gap between themselves and Limerick.
A win over Cork, coupled with a positive result for Limerick against Tipp, would guarantee them third place. If Limerick lost to Tipp, Clare would need to beat Cork by 22 points to get out of the group.
