Sunday’s clash with Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds will be the start of Michael Ryan’s last Munster SHC campaign as a Tipperary selector.

John Fogarty considers the tangible reasons both for and against Shefflin remaining on for a 17th season with the Cats.

Tipperary’s hurlers created a little bit of history last night when they became only the second All-Ireland runners-up to pick up seven All Stars.

1. Callanan coming of age

A classic? No: yesterday’s All-Ireland semi-final won’t shoulder its way into the annals of classic Cork-Tipperary encounters, but those in blue and gold will hardly worry.

ALL-IRELAND SHC SEMI-FINAL:

Between 1991 and 2006 Cork held Tipperary in check in senior hurling, with the Premier County forced to play second fiddle when the two sides met.

Kilkenny 2-17 Tipperary 1-16

THE shame when a county doesn’t go on to win the All-Ireland is it can forget what got it within touching distance of winning the All-Ireland in the first place.

IN the end the only nosebleed was suffered by the referee, not the favourites.

WHERE has the famous ‘Banner Roar’ gone, the old ‘Clare Shout’ of the last tumultuous decade, that’s what we were wondering as the Clare team took the field in the Gaelic Grounds yesterday for this Munster SHC semi-final joust with old enemies Tipperary.

Cork 1-14 Tipperary 1-14

IT was 3am on Monday when Brendan Cummins’ last reserves of adrenalin finally reached empty and he surrendered to sleep.

PUSHING the favourites to the absolute limit after having faced the prospect of a heavy defeat was of even less consolation to gallant Clare in the Gaelic Grounds yesterday when they were drawn against Galway in the qualifiers.

WHAT a cracking opening to the 2009 Munster senior hurling championship!

Kilkenny 2-13 Tipperary 3-13

Galway staged a dramatic Croke Park comeback, hitting a goal and six points in the final 13 minutes of the first of today's All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals, to edge out Tipperary and book their place in the last four.

DON’T talk to Conor Gleeson about comebacks, second chances, re-inventing of self.