1. An intense recent rivalry renewed
For the third successive season, Galway and Tipp will lock horns in an All-Ireland semi-final.
Just a point either way has separated the counties in their previous two championship meetings, Galway edging the 2015 meeting before Tipp snuck home last year.
Another tight encounter is expected but Galway will feel they have the measure of Tipp, having won the Allianz League final meeting between the sides by 16 points in April.
Tipp have huge motivation to atone for that and from the Premier County’s perspective, it’s very much a case of forewarned is forearmed.
But a 16-point gap, league or otherwise, is a big gap to make up and if Galway perform up to scratch again, they’ll feel confident of securing another win, and this time when the takes are infinitely higher.
2. Match-ups
The rival managers Michael Ryan and Micheál Donoghue will have put plenty of thought into their one-on-one match-ups.
Daithí Burke will pick up Tipp dangerman Seamus Callanan, having done so well against him last year, with Adrian Tuohy expected to police Callanan’s inside colleague John McGrath.
At the other end, James Barry is expected to revert to full-back, and he’s likely to pick up Conor Cooney.
At centre back for Galway, Gearóid McInerney has enjoyed a stellar campaign, but he’ll face his stiffest test to date against Tipp bulwark Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher.
On the opposite ’40, it’s Ronan Maher against Joe Canning and the Tipp man has a choice to make.
Does he hold his position and allow Canning to roam, or does he follow the Galway play-maker wherever he goes. Maher will need help in this regard, and we can expect Tipp midfielder Brendan Maher to drop back and provide extra cover.
3. New test for Galway
Tipp provide a new challenge to Galway, with their tendency to go for the jugular and play on the front foot.
That’s in contrast to the teams Galway have met in the Leinster championship, as Dublin, Offaly and Wexford were very much in defensive mode.
Offaly even set up with two sweepers against Galway, but the Tribesmen popped over 0-33 and won at a canter.
Galway’s game management to date has been excellent, as they realise that big points totals will do when goal chances are at a premium.
And when teams set up with a sweeper against them, Galway use Aidan Harte, who plays the role brilliantly, in similar fashion.
This semi-final is expected to go along more conventional lines, but Tipp are likely to drop at least one midfielder deep, and ask their wing-forwards to shuttle up and down their respective touchlines for extra protection.
Tipp look likely to take their chances in a shoot-out, and will rely on the scoring prowess of inside men Callanan, McGrath and John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer.
It’s a risky strategy, particularly against a Galway side that scored 3-21 against them in the League decider, before adding 2-90 in their three Leinster championship outings.
4. Tipp’s growing momentum
Tipp were stunned by Cork in the Munster quarter-final on 21 May, but have built a steady head of steam through the back door.
They were poor against Westmeath but performance levels have improved incrementally since then.
There were real flashes of top form in the comprehensive victory over Dublin, before Tipp dug it out in the quarter-final against Clare at the revamped Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Tipp will score enough to beat most teams but the obvious concern is in the full-back line, where a change is expected again.
At the time of writing, the word from the Premier County is that James Barry will revert back to the full-back position, to be flanked by Donagh Maher and fit-again Joe O’Dwyer.
Tipp badly need this line to hold up against Galway, and there’s an onus on the half-backs and a deep midfielder to provide a protective blanket.
5. Can Galway handle the five-week gap?
The general consensus from Tipperary is that they struggled to cope with the lay-offs between winning Munster finals in 2015 and 2016, and the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final clashes with Galway.
Tipp lost in 2015 by a point and were fortunate to win last August’s fixture by the same margin, as Galway lost Adrian Touhy and Joe Canning to injury on the stroke of half-time.
Had Galway’s influential pair remained on the pitch, it might well have been enough to tip the scales in their favour.
This time, it’s Tipp coming battle-hardened through the back door, while Galway have had to negotiate a five-week break since their Leinster final win over Wexford.
The roles are reversed on this occasion, and it will be interesting to note how long it takes Galway to settle.
The Westerners will have been heavily reliant on competitive in-house games in recent weeks, while a training camp in Fota Island will have helped to fine-tune preparations.
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