By Séamus Leonard
Dublin are now the only obstacle to an anticipated All-Ireland clash between Tipperary and Kilkenny, which would be the third instalment of a rivalry which is starting to resemble the famous Dublin and Kerry football battles of the 1970s and 1980s.
Watch Dublin and Tipperary (3.30pm), and the minor semi-final between Dublin and Waterford (1.30pm) live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ.ie/sport (Island of Ireland only).
Kilkenny have done their part after securing a six-point win over Waterford last Sunday, and Tipp are odds on to follow suit against a Dublin outfit who find themselves in unchartered waters after an excellent breakthrough season.
The Dubs already have the Walsh Cup and Allianz League Division 1 trophies gathering dust, but Sunday’s game will see them need to reach a whole new level again.
While manager Anthony Daly has called on his side not to let the opportunity to reach an All-Ireland decider (which would be the county’s first since 1961) pass them by, it will be hard for the Metropolitan players not to feel that they are not quite there yet in terms of getting the better of Tipp at this stage of the year.
The Dubs would undoubtedly feel more confident if they had a clean bill of health, but the loss of Conal Keaney, Stephen Hiney, Tomás Brady, David Treacy and Oisín Gough to injury has seriously undermined their Liam McCarthy credentials.
They were somewhat fortunate to overcome Limerick in the quarter-final after the Treatymen shot themselves in the foot by hitting 15 wides. But the very fact that the Dubs were able to see out the game illustrated the strides they have made.
It was a very important win in the context of the heavy defeat to Kilkenny in the Leinster final. An exit at the hands of Limerick would have been a body blow after all the progress made earlier in the season.
Tipperary had a slow start to the year and made little impact in the league, apart from the 26-point hiding they gave Galway at Pearse Stadium in April. Although that result said a lot about Galway’s deficiencies, hindsight would suggest that it was also the day that the Premier County found their feet under Declan Ryan.
It was no easy task to step in to Liam Sheedy’s shoes after last year’s epic All-Ireland success, but Ryan has managed to carry on where his predecessor left off. While Tipp battled their way through last summer’s campaign, the Munster champions have blazed a trail this term.
They have been steadily gaining momentum, although Ryan will probably feel he could have done without the hype-inducing 7-19 to 0-19 win over Waterford in the provincial final.
Lar Corbett smashed in four goals against the Déise, and the 30-year-old is on course to become the first player to win the Hurler of the Year in consecutive years.
The Thurles Sarsfields clubman has taken on the mantle of Tipp’s main target man, but the likes of Eoin Kelly, Noel McGrath, Seamus Callanan and John O’Brien provide more than adequate support.
Kilkenny set the bar in terms of having a strong panel, but Tipp have matched the Noresiders in that respect. It seems extraordinary that last year’s Young Hurler of the Year Brendan Maher cannot get in the team, but it must give Declan Ryan great comfort to know he has such quality to call on should things go awry for his starting XV.
They will come up against a familiar face in Ryan O’Dwyer on Sunday, with the Tipperary native fast becoming a critical member of the Dublin attack, particularly given the enforced absence of Keaney.
O’Dwyer bagged a hat-trick against Limerick, but the former Cashel King Cormac’s clubman will find goal chances harder to come by and Tipp will no doubt have a plan to limit his influence.
Dublin seem to enjoy playing on the big stage at Headquarters, and will be keen to banish memories of the Kilkenny game.
But the loss of five first-choice players will surely take its toll, and Tipp will hope that a place in the final can be secured without any serious injuries to their top personnel.
Verdict: Tipperary
