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Tipperary's Padraic Maher and Colin Fennelly of Kilkenny in last year's All-Ireland final. INPHO/Lorraine O'Sullivan

Tipperary v Kilkenny - All-Ireland SHC semi-final match guide

They have faced off in the last three All-Ireland senior hurling finals and those meetings have whetted the appetite ahead of the battle between Tipperary and Kilkenny in Sunday’s semi-final tie.

Sunday, Croke Park, 3.30pm, (Ref: Cathal McAllister, Cork)

Latest from the medics and management…Tipperary have stuck with the side that swept to Munster championship glory. John O’Brien, whose brother passed away earlier this week, is named at full-forward while there is no place in the attack for Shane Bourke and Eoin Kelly who struck 1-4 between them when introduced during the Munster final.

TIPPERARY SH: 1. Brendan Cummins (Ballybacon-Grange); 2. Conor O’Brien (Éire Óg Annacarty), 3. Paul Curran (Mullinahone), 4. Michael Cahill (Thurles Sarsfields); 5. Thomas Stapleton (Templederry Kenyons), 6. Conor O’Mahony (Newport), 7. Padraic Maher (Thurles Sarsfields); 8. Brendan Maher (Borris–Ileigh), 9. Shane McGrath (Ballinahinch); 10. Pa Bourke (Thurles Sarsfields), 11. Patrick Maher (Lorrha & Dorrha), 12. Lar Corbett (Thurles Sarsfields); 13. Brian O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs), 14. John O’Brien (Toomevara), 15. Noel McGrath (Loughmore Castleiney).

Kilkenny will name their team tonight and will be pressed into at least one change as Richie Hogan is suspended after being shown a red card during their All-Ireland quarter-final win over Limerick. TJ Reid is the most likely replacement.

KILKENNY SH: TBC

Checking the odds…Kilkenny are 4/6 favourites with Tipperary 6/4 and the draw available at 10/1. The handicap betting has Kilkenny (-2) at 11/10 while in the first goalscorer markets, Henry Shefflin at 6/1 and Noel McGrath at 12/1 look well placed.

Clues from the form guide…Tipperary entered last year’s All-Ireland series on the back of that Munster final destruction of Waterford and it did them little favors with a patchy performance against Dublin before they faltered in the final against Kilkenny. Now they are in better shape after a 2012 provincial campaign that really tested them with wins garnered over Limerick, Cork and Waterford. They are well placed entering this match.

Have Kilkenny recovered from their Leinster final mauling by Galway? The first-half of the quarter-final over Limerick indicated that there were still concerns. Henry Shefflin bailed them out with the key scores in that period as they were unsettled by the ferociously physical challenge Limerick posed. The second-half was more encouraging with their half-back line an impregnable unit, Michael Fennelly getting vital game time at midfield while Colin Fennelly and TJ Reid stood up to prise open the Limerick rearguard.

The game breakers are…How much have Tipperary learnt from last September’s final defeat? Comparing their current line-up with the side that started that day indicates that their management were educated by that defeat. Conor O’Brien and Thomas Stapleton form a new right flank of their defence yet will Kilkenny target those areas?

Tipperary will hope to reap a better dividend from their midfield fortunes this year with Brendan Maher back in play and Shane McGrath back to form. And their reconfigured attack seeks to get more out of Noel McGrath at corner-forward and Lar Corbett at wing-forward, hope Patrick Bonner Maher’s angles of running cut open the heart of the Kilkenny defence and that Brian O’Meara’s heft will be a useful weapon inside.

Tipperary’s Patrick Maher surrounded by Kilkenny trio Noel Hickey, Tommy Walsh and JJ Delaney during last year’s final. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie

Kilkenny’s defence looked to be in a far better structural shape against Limerick than it had been against Galway. Preventing their defence from being pulled apart is absolutely critical as last September they successfully flooded their back line with bodies whereas the previous year Tipperary created the space that ripped them open.

JJ Delaney and Tommy Walsh are coming into better veins of form while they need Michael Fennelly at the height of his midfield powers. Up front Henry Shefflin needs support but Aidan Fogarty, TJ Reid and Colin Fennelly all showed up well in that regard in the second-half against Limerick. A concern must be the options on the Kilkenny bench with Tipperary looking to be better stocked in that regard as they can call on Shane Bourke, Eoin Kelly and Seamus Callanan.

Gazing into the crystal ball..Kilkenny tactically outsmarted Tipperary last year and their players also held a huge desire to avenge the 2010 defeat. They should not lack motivation here either considering that the prize is a chance on September 9th to face the Galway side who humbled them in the Leinster final.

Brian Cody’s side are back on track since that loss and are primed for a furious battle. Yet Tipperary will be similarly steeled for a war and have trained extremely hard since the Munster final in order to get themselves in prime condition. It is a fascinating and potentially epic collision.

There is a sense in the Tipperary camp that given the young talent at their disposal, they cannot end up like the Premier outfit of 2001 who only won one All-Ireland title and they need to add a second crown to their 2010 success. That desire to prove themselves, the series of tests they have endured this season in developing a winning run and the ability to unleash Bourke and Kelly from the bench can tip the balance in their favor.

Verdict…Tipperary

Join TheScore.ie live from Croke Park on Sunday at 3.30pm for minute-by-minute coverage of all the action between Tipperary and Kilkenny.

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23 Comments
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    Mute John
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    Aug 17th 2012, 12:07 PM

    Can’t wait. A great and healthy sporting rivalry since ’09. Nothing like it.

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    Mute James Doorley
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    Aug 17th 2012, 12:07 PM

    Will be so close on Sunday, but think Tipp can do it by point or two. Hon the Premier!!

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    Mute Will Hourihan
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    Aug 17th 2012, 12:26 PM

    This comment has nothing to do with the article It’s regarding the application which is becoming a total nightmare these days. It takes ages to update and keeps crashing.

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    Mute colm connolly
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    Aug 17th 2012, 12:32 PM

    So don’t put the comment here report it to them thru the contact us button

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    Mute Will Hourihan
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    Aug 17th 2012, 1:59 PM

    There is no contact us button at the bottom!

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Aug 17th 2012, 2:24 PM

    Hi Will, could you let us know which app your using (android, iphone or ipad), and the apps version number (under “more” in the app). Also which version of your operating system your using, if you know.

    You can reply here or email us at errors@thejournal.ie

    Thanks
    John

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    Mute John
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    Aug 17th 2012, 4:59 PM

    Will, maybe you should put your phone back in the box it came in and ask a friend to put it up on ebay for you. Then go out and buy yourself a Nokia 9210.
    That should fix your problem :-)

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    Mute Sinead Ryan
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    Aug 17th 2012, 6:04 PM

    Having a similar problem as well, extremely annoying!

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    Mute Diarmaid Twomey
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    Aug 17th 2012, 1:15 PM

    Best of luck to both teams. As a Cork man it’s disappointing to not have got through last week but this game is a mouthwatering contest! Can’t wait! My head says Kilkenny will pip it, but my heart hopes for a Tipp win! I’d love a Galway v Tipp final!

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    Mute Jason Doyle
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    Aug 17th 2012, 12:46 PM

    No doubt, a Tipp win for sure

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    Mute James O Mara
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    Aug 17th 2012, 2:17 PM

    Up tipp that best

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    Mute John
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    Aug 17th 2012, 5:01 PM

    Kilkenny 8/11 and Tipp 13/8 on Betfair – bookies aren’t often wrong. Come on the Cats.

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    Mute James O Mara
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    Aug 18th 2012, 12:51 AM

    Com on tipp we will beat that cats

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    Mute Deezer7
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    Aug 17th 2012, 9:20 PM

    Come on Cats!!

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    Mute James O Mara
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    Aug 18th 2012, 12:55 AM

    Com on tipp

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    Mute Ronan Mc Namara
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    Aug 17th 2012, 5:55 PM

    To lift trophy:

    Kilkenny evens
    Galway 2/1
    Tipperary 3/1

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    Mute John Byrne
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    Aug 18th 2012, 3:51 AM

    Come on the cats

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    Mute michael murphy
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    Aug 17th 2012, 6:11 PM

    bit of a cliche..but the points will be tit for tat. it will be all about the goals on sunday and which ever defence or goalkeeper stands the strongest,will win.should be a cracker.

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    Mute Bryan Murray
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    Aug 17th 2012, 9:05 PM

    I think KK have more goals in them which should swing it in their favour, they should take it by 4

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    Mute Gavin O'Connor
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    Aug 17th 2012, 6:29 PM

    Tipp haven’t had to show their hand yet this year minus a great come back v Limerick, they’re coming along nicely, but what might catch them is the month break since the Munster final. Since then KK have had time to pick themselves up even if it took a fifteen minute spell in the second half against the Treaty men to do it, it came none the less. This will obviously stand to them and they will certainly be looking at one their old style blitzes and try to get as much distance from Tipp for the rest of the game as early as they can. That said I find it hard to separate the two, so I’ll just go with what Iv said all year, Tipp to win if they can match the intensity they had in 2010.

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Aug 17th 2012, 6:57 PM

    @Gavin – Just on including the substitutes, unfortunately Tipperary don’t release their substitutes before games. Once we get them before the game on Sunday, we’ll include them on the live blog.

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    Mute Gavin O'Connor
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    Aug 17th 2012, 7:05 PM

    Sound Fintan man, but it seems to happen across the board. I think fans are crying out for a GAA Flashscore Score Center, mush handier than leafing through the Examiner for full team sheets and scorers.

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    Mute Gavin O'Connor
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    Aug 17th 2012, 6:18 PM

    Minor gripe, but Iv often thought Score should show the substitutes as well.

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