Tipperary v Galway

Following their fabulous win over Kilkenny last Sunday, Tipperary will be looking to down a second major rival in as many weeks when they entertain Galway at Semple Stadium.

There were questions asked of Liam Sheedy's men when they were comprehensively beaten by Dublin a fortnight ago, but they responded with a quality performance that will be seen as the benchmark for the rest of the season.

There were also questions asked of Sheedy's behaviour after he pushed Kilkenny counterpart Brian Cody as tempers flared both on and off the pitch last week.

The two managers dismissed the incident afterwards and it looks like the Tipp boss will escape censure for it. However, it showed that he was not prepared to back down against the All-Ireland champions and his team followed suit.

You would have thought that a four-point win over the pre-eminent side in the land would be acknowledged by the naming of an unchanged team. But Sheedy has opted to make four changes with Paddy Stapleton, Michael Cahill, Seamus Hennessy and Jody Brennan coming in at the expense of Paul Curran, Thomas Stapleton, Benny Dunne and Micheál Webster.

One man who was assured of his jersey was Pádraic Maher, who gave a master class in full-back play against the Cats.

Galway may have won their two games to date, but manager John McIntyre is unhappy that his men have developed the habit at falling asleep at the wheel during games.

The Tribesmen got away with it against Limerick and Waterford, but with the big guns now lying in wait, they will need to start producing 70-minute performances.

Defender Conor Dervan has been drafted in to make his first appearance since 2008, but the Portumna contingent remain unavailable as they prepare for their big day out in Croke Park next Wednesday.

Verdict: Tipperary