All-Ireland MHC Final/Galway v Tipperary: Talk to Galway manager Mattie Murphy, whose side take on Tipperary in tomorrow's ESB All-Ireland minor hurling final, and he will tell you the current crop are inferior to the previous two All-Ireland winning teams. Ask Tipperary's Liam Sheedy about the underdogs and he will elaborate on the ill-health of hurling in the Premier County. All mind games.
"To class Tipperary alongside Cork and Kilkenny, or even Galway at underage level, is inaccurate," said Sheedy. "We have won three senior All-Irelands in 30 years and two minor All-Irelands in 24 years. That's hardly top grade. I'm 36 years old and I don't know where all this talk of tradition is coming from. Sure, Clare have been better than us in modern times. All-Irelands are hard to win.
"Mattie Murphy has it down to a fine art. This will be his fifth final. Maybe for Galway it is easier to get to an All-Ireland final as they don't have to go through the rigours of a Munster championship. It's tougher as you must peak early and maintain that standard throughout the year."
He's right. Tipperary have scrapped tooth and nail to make tomorrow's final in Croke Park. Clare and Limerick put up the initial obstacles in Munster before Cork turned a five-point deficit into an eight-point victory in the provincial decider. Carlow brought quarter-final rehabilitation before they sneaked past Kilkenny by a single point.
Now all they have to do is contain the greatest underage talent since DJ Carey. After four years as a minor, this represents Joe Canning's swansong from the underage ranks. After this the Portumna wizard is free game. Colleges, under-21 and senior level will be pulling out of his jersey far more than any full back.
"Joe Canning scored 2-4 in 30 minutes at under-21 level when he was marked by senior Kilkenny defender Donnacha Cody so there is no reason why he can't double that against us," observed Sheedy. "There is not much we can do if he gets quality ball. We must work at shutting down the avenues into him."
Pádraig Maher has already made his senior debut for Thurles Sarsfield but shadowing Canning will be the toughest assignment of a fledgling career.
"At the start of the year I didn't consider us contenders. After the Munster final I wouldn't have envisaged us recovering and making the All-Ireland final but we have improved significantly. We are under no illusions about the task in hand."
With Niall Bergin and Brendan Maher struggling to regain full fitness, just being there may not be enough. Galway to achieve the first three-in-a-row of the day pulling up.
GALWAY: J Skehill; J Ryan, M McMahon, A Moylan; D Burke, K Keane, S Quinn; E Forde, G Lally; A Harte, M Corcoran, L Tully; S Coen, J Canning, G Hennelly.
TIPPERARY: J Ryan; M Cahill, P Maher, B Maher; E Hogan, T Stapleton, J O'Keeffe; J McLoughney, G Ryan; S Hennessy, T McGrath, N Bergin; P Bourke, T Dunne, T Dalton.
Referee: D Connolly (Kilkenny).
