Galway v Tipperary - All Ireland Senior Hurling Semi-Final 2017

Sport
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Unsurprisingly Barrett won’t be back

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Cork’s All-Ireland semi-final record as Munster champions in the back door era is pretty unimpressive.

They’ve had two thumping defeats, one draw against a Wexford team they would have been expected to comfortably put away, and two one point wins in years when all semi-finalists had to play quarter-finals, thus there was no disadvantage to them in terms of a long lay-off.

Galway v Tipperary would be pretty much considered a 50-50 game.

In such semi-finals over the years, provincial champions have a poor record.

The only semi-finals since 1997 (excluding 2005-07) which would have been ranked as 50-50 games or close to 50-50 which the provincial champions won on the initial day out were:

1998 - Kilkenny v Waterford - Kilkenny slight favourites
1999 - Cork v Offaly - Cork were slight favourites
1999 - Kilkenny v Clare - Kilkenny very slight favourites
2002 - Kilkenny v Tipperary - Kilkenny were slight favourites
2016 - Tipperary v Galway - pretty much 50-50

The really noteworthy thing is the amount of semi-finals provincial champions have lost where the game was either considered close to 50-50, or the provincial champions were underdogs beforehand. That trend has been particularly marked in recent years.

1997 - Wexford v Tipperary
2002 - Waterford v Clare
2004 - Waterford v Kilkenny
2004 - Wexford v Cork
2008 - Tipperary v Waterford
2010 - Waterford v Tipperary
2012 - Tipperary v Kilkenny
2013 - Dublin v Cork
2013 - Limerick v Clare
2014 - Cork v Tipperary
2015 - Tipperary v Galway

That’s a 5-11 record for provincial champions in semi-finals in which the result was considered genuinely in doubt beforehand.

You could throw Clare v Offaly 1998 into that mix too for a 5-11-1 record.

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This should be a cracker.

Tipp do have a serious set of forwards, 0-28 is very good scoring and they went to sleep for about 15 minutes too. Will probably need goals to win this one though, but they definitely have the potential for goals.

And Galway’s forwards have been flying too; I don’t know if I’d pick them as a unit over the Tipp ones but they are all massive, well able to win their own ball & score. And with Canning & Whelan with plenty more to offer this year.

Both backlines have their weaknesses, you’d think- Tipp’s weakness very readily apparent against Clare where their full-back line was exposed. They’re going to have to do something there, Barry had an absolute nightmare in the corner and Hamill looks like he can be got at too. Galway haven’t really been racking up goals in Championship, but no better time to start than a semi-final.

Galway haven’t really been tested, but Tipp will look to run at McInerney, maybe Hanbury can be got at too. They do have Daithi Burke and there’s probably no better man to go toe-to-toe with Callanan. But the Galway backs are all very big men, Tipp will need their touch to be spot on.

Midfield would seem to be advantage Galway so far; Breen & Maher were very very quiet against Clare, whereas Burke & Coen are flying. The Tipp boys will need to up their game tenfold.

On form, Galway have shown more. But a break of five weeks isn’t ideal, and they weren’t really tested before that. Tipp haven’t got near 2016 levels yet but know where they have to improve. When they get going, they looked imperious.

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Is this the first time ever that there’s been no Leinster team in the semi-finals?

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No. Galway are still in it.

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Yes.

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Yes - Leinster hurling is in the mud.

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It has been for years . Only for Kk it would be a joke since the turn of the Millenium .

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Back to the men 1week to the big game cc @Mullach_Ide @carryharry @caulifloweredneanderthal

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Why won’t Ryan let Barrett back cc @carryharry

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Are you suggesting we put an asterisk behind those AI wins?

:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Sorry mike what you on about

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Ah I was only having a bit of fun Joe.

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That’s what it is about well when Clare are out which is most years👍

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I just cannot see Galway being beat this year, they’ll put up a huge score, but if any team has the potential to stick a bagful of goals past them it’s Tipp

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Tipp are like a dog with herpes struggling on. Galway will distmantle them Sunday week.

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I fancy tip

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What players from tipp will run at mcinerney? There very slow and bar an out of form bonnar they’ve no real ball carriers.

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McCormack is a ball carrier

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cant see them being as bad as last week. Defence what can they do to without barret and who starts in goal