In an interesting revelation during a recent interview, Galway manager Conor Hayes expressed his frustration with the tactical departures of the modern game, expressing a preference for long striking and allowing the forwards to fight individual battles against their markers.

It is an unusual point of view at a time when the current trend is towards nursing possession and when the leading teams put so much effort into puck-out strategy and ball retention.

But it was especially unusual because the team that Hayes captained to two All-Irelands effectively foreshadowed the style of the current All-Ireland champions Cork by running with the ball and hand-passing. This necessitated high fitness levels - as the ball was no longer doing the work - but it was effective.

Next Sunday Hayes leads his team to Croke Park to take on Leinster champions Kilkenny. A year ago the teams met in a qualifier round in Thurles and Galway were destroyed, lacking a Plan B to counter their opponents' tour de force.

This weekend is a timely reminder of a meeting between the counties at the same semi-final stage 19 years ago when then Galway manager Cyril Farrell launched his most famous tactical coup by deploying a three-man centrefield against Kilkenny.

The background to that match played in Thurles on August 10th, 1986 was one of a developing Galway team that had lost the previous year's All-Ireland final to Offaly despite having gone in as favourites after defeating then champions Cork in the semi-final.

Adding context was the meeting between Galway and Kilkenny in the previous May's National League final. Kilkenny won the match and had played particularly well at centrefield and defence.

Farrell's scheme was to play a two-man full-forward line of Joe Cooney and Noel Lane, withdrawing Anthony Cunningham and varying the configuration between a four-man half-forward line and a three-man centrefield.

"On the day it really worked," recalled Cooney on last night's Off The Ball programme on Dublin's Newstalk 106. "Midfield was an area that he had looked at because it hadn't gone that well in the league final. Some of us being young in the forwards needed that bit more space."

In the All-Ireland semi-final, Kilkenny were overrun, 0-13 to 4-12. Despite the suggestion that the tactics had been simply a 'horses for courses' policy, the temptation to try it again in the final against Cork was too much to resist.

Cork manager Johnny Clifford has said that he tried to imitate the idea in training to counter the Galway tactic, but hadn't been able to get the players to adapt to it and promptly shelved the idea.

Instead Cork decided to leave corner back John Crowley in his position and Galway's two-man full-forward line didn't have the same impact as in the semi-final. Cork won 4-13 to 2-15 in what was Jimmy Barry-Murphy's last match for the county.

"If everything runs for you, you win things," according to Cooney. "Going into that match I think John Crowley had a bad ankle injury so I don't think he could have gone out the field anyway. He just stood his ground and every ball went into that corner and he got Man of the Match afterwards for all the ball he cleared."

Things got better for Galway with the county winning the next two All-Irelands in 1987 and '88. And as Hayes and the whole of Galway hurling are painfully aware, the county hasn't won it since.

Meanwhile, Galway, who will tonight name a side for Sunday's All-Ireland hurling semi-final, have received better news about corner forward Ger Farragher who has been struggling with a dead leg. The player has recovered and will be available for selection.

• An eight-man task force has been set up to appoint a manager and selectors for the Tipperaryhurling team. Manager Ken Hogan and selectors Colm Bonnar and Jack Bergin completed their two-year contract with the defeat by Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final, and it is not clear as yet if they are seeking to be reappointed.

LIMERICK (MH v Dublin, All-Ireland semi-final, Nowlan Park, Saturday): G Flynn; R McCarthy, L Hurley, T Condon; J Kelly, D Moloney, G O'Mahony; S Hickey, D Moore; B O'Sullivan, J Ryan, D Hanley; M Ryan, O Ryan, D O'Sullivan.