One certainty: It’ll be physical
Tipperary, beaten in the first round of the Munster championship, are odds on favourites against a Waterford team that claimed the provincial crown.
Maybe the bookies are looking at Waterford’s recent record in All-Ireland semi-finals having won only one in the last decade. Perhaps they are considering the fact it took them two games (and extra time) to defeat a Cork outfit who were blown away in 15 minutes by Kilkenny. Or maybe they’re looking at Tipperary’s performance against that same Kilkenny team in last year’s All-Ireland final and hence the short price for the Premier.
But every game is different. And when you look at these two teams, what really sticks out for me is the vast experience in Waterford in comparison to Tipperary.
Then you look at some of the new names they’ve introduced such as Noel Connors at corner-back, Shane O’Sullivan in midfield, Kevin Moran at centre-forward along with Shane Walsh in the full-forward line.
Look also at the youngsters on the bench, the likes of Tomás Ryan and Brian O’Halloran, and that’s a lot of really good young talent coming through in Waterford. Factor in the experience of Eoin Murphy, Tony Browne, Brick Walsh, and especially Eoin Kelly along with John Mullane. You’re talking about a very balanced team, but also – and this too has impressed me – playing very much as a team.
A worry for Waterford for years has been the full-back position; Liam Lawlor (presuming he starts there) has done reasonably well, but this game is going to be a difficult challenge. He was troubled by young Darach Honan against Clare – these guys are a lot more experienced, and Liam is going to need a lot of support at the back from Noel Connors and Eoin Murphy.
On Tipperary, there were major doubts about them after the Cork loss, but the manner of their recovery since, the manner of their win over Galway especially, has to have answered a lot of those questions. Coming from two points down with a few minutes to go, and winning in the manner they did was a real show of character, something that maybe they wouldn’t have done last year.
And the funny thing is, looking at them from up in the stands, you always felt they were going to do that, that they were going to work their way back and win the game.
I don’t think the Tipperary forwards will line out as selected. I feel Noel McGrath is better further out from the posts, and I feel John O’Brien is better when he’s closer to the goals – that switch could happen, with O’Brien at full-forward, his best position.
Lar Corbett could be the key forward for Tipperary in this game. He seems to love Croke Park, he plays well there and the pitch suits him. When he starts to wander out the field, it’s then he causes real damage. In midfield, I think Tipp now have the ideal balance with Brendan Maher and Shane McGrath, and that battle could be pivotal. Waterford are strong here also, with Shane O’Sullivan and Richie Foley, but McGrath is the most experienced of this quartet, and Tipp could shade it here.
The big question is how will with the Tipp defence cope with the Waterford attack? I think Padraic Maher should be at centre-back in a straight swap with Conor O’Mahony, and we could see that before the end of the game. I would also like to see Declan Fanning at full-back and Paul Curran in the corner. That move would give you experience in the corner, where Michael Cahill might now be faced with John Mullane. Michael is an excellent man-marker, but John is an excellent corner-forward – blot him out and you’ve gone a long way to beating Waterford.
This is going to be a very, very physical game. Tipp are not going to be caught by Waterford the way they were caught two years ago, when Waterford really tore into them in the opening minutes, upset their rhythm. Tipp know they were bullied, and it left a sour taste. It won’t happen again.
Final call: what everyone wants to see here is a top-class match. Both sets of players and management will be revved up, on the sideline especially. I find it a hard game to call; Tipp were caught against Cork, recovered against Galway, and I think that’s enough for them to just shade this. In the minor semi-final (and I know no-one from Dublin will hold this against me), best of luck to my own county, Clare.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
