Canning's View - Hurling Column August 12

Going up against All-Ireland champions Tipperary was always going to be a huge ask for Dublin but when you figure in the injuries to key men Dublin have suffered in the run up to this semi-final the challenge is going to be a bridge too far for them.

Injuries are a part of every campaign and Dublin adapted well to the early loss of Stephen Hiney and Tomás Brady already this season. But when it comes down to the business end of the championship hurling demands a panel full of strength and depth. The loss of Conal Keaney following his motorbike accident, Oisin Gough, and most recently David Tracey, with a hamstring, has left Anthony Daly and his selectors with a depleted squad and has deprived Dublin some of their leaders and most influential players.

Daly and his management team know their Hurling and they have Dublin playing to their strengths. The Dubs have reached an incredible level of fitness and bring a huge intensity and physicality to their game but against a team of the calibre of Tipperary I just can’t see them being able to maintain that intensity for the 70 minutes. Tipperary are playing with a real structure this year and their forwards are capable of inter-changing and spreading the scoring responsibility and I just can’t see Dublin living with that.

Even though the bookies have them as 16-1 odds on favourites Tipperary won’t be taking this game for granted. They’ll have learned from their past mistakes. They were caught on the hop last year by Cork in the Munster championship and they won’t be looking past the Dublin challenge even though everyone is already talking about a replay of last year’s All-Ireland final.

The fact that they have a new manager in Declan Ryan brings a new voice to the dressing room and makes the challenges of this year unique in their own regard. Ryan and his backroom team have already worked with most of the Tipperary lads at minor and U21 levels and that facilitates a smooth transition to the new management team.

Tipp have stepped it up from last year and they are a very professional outfit both on and off the pitch. They’ve taken great belief from beating Kilkenny in last year’s final and they’ve built on that this year. If you look at the All-Ireland final of 2009 Tipperary could easily have won that game – it was a couple of scores and calls at crucial times that swayed it Kilkenny’s way. A different fall of the ball on the day and Tipperary could now be in the race for three-in-row. That’s how good this team is.

They clocked up a huge score against Waterford in the Munster final and Daly and his backroom team will have worked hard on making sure Dublin don’t give Lar Corbett, Eoin Kelly and the rest of the inside forward line an easy route to goal. Dublin have to crowd the space in front of goals but that inevitably leaves more space out the field demanding huge work-rate from your half-backs, half-forwards and midfielders. In the wide open spaces of Croke Park that’s energy-sapping work and it’s nigh on impossible to sustain for the full duration of a championship match, regardless of how well conditioned the Dublin team are.

Even if they manage to limit Tipperary’s goal-scoring opportunities the reigning champions have players all over the field capable of getting scores and while I expect Dublin to live with Tipperary for the first half I think the All-Ireland champions should pull away fairly easily in the end.

Whatever happens on Sunday it’s already been a very successful year for Dublin hurling. They won their first senior league title in 72 years and now they are going for the first All-Ireland final appearance since 1948. Add to that the Leinster titles at minor and U21 this year and they have three teams currently in the fight to reach All-Ireland finals which is just incredible. If you said six years ago that was going to happen people would not have believed you. They have a lot to be optimistic about for the future.

It’ll be great to see the Hill 16 in full colour and supporting the Boys in Blue of the small ball on Sunday. The fact that their minors are playing Waterford too will only add to the occasion and will get the Hill in good voice from early on. Unfortunately for them I expect it to be the Tipperary fans cheering come All-Ireland final day.