Liam Sheedy: Another classic tussle could turn on who gets matchups right

Eight of the last 10 meetings between Galway and Tipp have been settled by two points or less. And nearly every one has given us moments to treasure, whatever side of the bridge you’re on

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Jake Morris of Tipperary has a shot on goal during the 2020 All-Ireland SHC quarter-final against Galway in Limerick. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

At home in Portroe, Lough Derg separated us from the frontline in the Tipp-Galway rivalry. And as a player, I missed the hottest days, which reaching boiling for a while. By the time we beat them in the 1999 league final temperatures had cooled a small bit and we couldn’t half-fill Ennis between us that day.

It’s a rivalry that has changed often in its texture. It didn’t exist really until the late eighties, then there was real cross-border spite after the Tony Keady affair. When I came back as a manager, there was certainly an edge still there, but nowadays Tipp v Galway grabs more attention for the spectacle it nearly guarantees than the prospect of a row.