Sunday August 6
All Ireland SHC Semi-Final
Galway v Tipperary, Croke Park, 4pm
Suddenly the hurling landscape is a bit like the late 1980s all over again with Galway and Tipperary colliding in crucial League and Championship matches.
Back then, though, Galway were able to collect All Ireland titles in 1987 and 1988, the current crop want to scratch that itch.
It can only be done by hoisting Liam MacCarthy in September so this is a game Galway need to deliver in. Tipperary will certainly hit Croke Park with similar intentions so the third All Ireland Semi-Final in a row between these two evenly matched teams should go the distance.
Despite Seamus Callanan’s sheer and utter brilliance, Shane Maloney’s last gasp point earned Galway a gritty 2015 win. Last year Tipperary, boosted by the arrival of the splendid stickman John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer, finished strongly to overcome Galway by a point.
This April the latest collision brought a surprisingly comfortable League Final triumph for Galway. Michael Ryan’s Tipperary certainly won’t be so accommodating at GAA headquarters and their response since losing to Cork in the Munster Championship bodes well.
Westmeath, Dublin, and Clare have all been defeated by Tipperary, who flourished on the Croke Park stage in 2016.
That was when Tipperary, particularly in the final success over Kilkenny, demonstrated what they can do if given time and space.
Galway’s recent body of work ensures they cross the Shannon with equal measures of hope and expectation.
Nine straight League and Championship victories confirms Galway’s form, but there is also a realisation that Tipperary in an August encounter represents an acid test.
During that burst of Galway triumphs different forwards have delivered in the various matches. Conor Whelan’s audacious League Final display was followed by a flurry of scores against Dublin. Conor Cooney and Joseph Cooney were immense in the Wexford win, while all the time Joe Canning was relevant, fashioning and taking points too.
At the opposite end Callanan’s duel with Daithí Burke should be tasty, but Galway will also realise the value of containing Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher.
Mícheal Donoghue has been sensible throughout his tenure and his stint in the Tipperary backroom team adds another layer of intrigue.
How will Tipperary cope with a physically imposing Galway attack? Can Galway tame Callanan’s influence? What substitutes will make a decisive impact? Several questions are about to be answered.
GALWAY: Colm Callanan; Adrian Tuohy, Daithi Burke, John Hanbury; Padraig Mannion, Gearoid McInerney, Aidan Harte; Johnny Coen, David Burke; Cathal Mannion, Joe Canning, Joseph Cooney; Conor Whelan, Niall Burke, Conor Cooney.
TIPPERARY: Darren Gleeson; Donagh Maher, James Barry, Michael Cahill; Seamus Kennedy, Ronan Maher, Padraic Maher; Brendan Maher, Michael Breen; Dan McCormack, Patrick Maher, Noel McGrath; John O’Dwyer, Seamus Callanan, John McGrath.
