Ian O'Riordan talks to Galway manager Conor Hayes, who believes his side will push Kilkenny all the way.

Summertime, and the living is easy. With the mercury rising all week even the most committed hurler must be tempted to kick off the flip-flops, grab a cold slice of watermelon, and wash it down with his favourite iced brew.

Unless, of course, he's from Galway. Not with Kilkenny awaiting in Saturday's All-Ireland hurling quarter-final in Thurles.

It hasn't been a good week to prepare for the dog-day afternoons of championship hurling - the wet, sticky heat and the wind as warm as the breath of a drunkard - but come rain or shine in Thurles you won't hear any excuses from Galway.

"It's a huge game for Galway, for sure," says manager Conor Hayes. "But it's where the players want to be, in a quarter-final, fighting for a place in the All-Ireland semi-final.

"I remember last September and October, after losing the All-Ireland, we were all down about it, and the players were wondering if they'd ever get a chance again.

"Time has flown and that chance does come around quickly, but it goes quickly as well. It could be gone in 70 minutes for us on Saturday evening. That's the same with Kilkenny, who'll be equally keen to put it together on the day.

"The lads have trained very hard, and done stuff on their own as well. They've looked after themselves and minded themselves, and hopefully all that can be reflected on the day."

Galway against Kilkenny. Straight away the memory is of last year's All-Ireland semi-final. Galway won 5-18 to 4-18 and most hurling experts are still trying to make sense of it. But not too far in the distance is the memory of their 2004 qualifier, which Kilkenny won 4-20 to 1-10. Just one obvious reason why Hayes is cautious about making any predictions.

"In a game like this you never know what's going to happen. You could pick up an injury early on. Or like in the Waterford game, when David Collins was sent off, and that upset us. We try to devise game plans, get them playing in certain ways, but in ways I think when the restrictions are off them they play better.

"And I think with Galway we always do play better in the championship than the league or whatever, any game they know they need to get up for.

"It's the same with Kilkenny. Both sides are hell-bent on playing hurling, so when you play Kilkenny at least you always know what you're going to get. They're all-out hurlers. Last year was an exceptional game, but this is another one-off game. The winners go on and the losers go out. And that's still what makes the championship."

There is one significant difference to last year, however, in that Galway were beaten in the qualifiers (by Waterford) which appeared at the time as a setback. There is also the enduring question of whether they've been suitably tested or not - yet Hayes appears unconcerned on both counts.

"The Waterford match was an unusual game, in that we scored 2-20, and took off three of our forwards. And we conceded 1-25, even though we thought our backs played fairly well. The sending-off upset us, because we were starting to get into the game then. It was like Waterford against Tipperary in the Munster semi-final. It took them a while to settle, and so I think they were more settled than us that day.

"But I was still delighted with a game like that, invaluable to us. The Westmeath game was very little use, and the same with the Laois game. That means we're going in with only one competitive game, but I'm hoping the lads will have learnt a lot from last year, and that season will stand to them."

Hayes will finalise his team after training this evening, but a vacancy is likely to be left at midfield as he awaits a fitness update on David Collins. Centre back Shane Kavanagh is more likely to start, and Hayes clearly hasn't ruled out Eugene Cloonan either. The only thing definite at this stage is that minor star Joe Canning won't be featuring.

"Shane has bruising on his foot, but we're expecting him to be fit. David still has a twinge in his hamstring from the Waterford game. He's recovering alright, and is determined to play himself, but we probably won't make a decision on him until Saturday. For a game like this we'll need him to be 100 per cent if we're to play him.

"We didn't play Eugene in the qualifiers, because he just wasn't 100 per cent right. His leg injury was still hampering him, and Eugene is a perfectionist really. We'd a game amongst ourselves last Thursday and played our under-21s last Saturday, and he's sharpening up pretty well.

"He's certainly a real option for us at this stage and we're delighted to see him back. I have to say he's as fit as I've ever seen him, and his hurling just needs a bit of sharpening. I'd have no fear of putting him out."

As for Canning, however, his much-awaited senior debut will have to wait until another day as he plays with the Galway minors on Sunday.

"People are still saying we should bring him along on Saturday, but my view on that is it just wouldn't be fair. I know he would be an addition to us. He's an outstanding player.

"But he's captain of the minors, and it would be wrong on himself and his team-mates if we took him away. You have to apply some reason. If the minor game was on last weekend he'd certainly be with us. That's why I was a little annoyed with the way they fixed the games.

"When you're playing Kilkenny in an All-Ireland quarter-final you're looking for every possible advantage. I don't think Kilkenny have been pushed to the limit yet, although we'll certainly be trying to do that."