Nicky English: For Galway, Tipp are a more palatable task than Kilkenny

After all of the regret about last year’s quarter-finals being staged on a Saturday, it is surprising that 12 months later, nothing has been done to address the situation. For the most part, hurling is more traditional, more rural than football, and deviation from Sunday afternoons impacts at the turnstiles and, as a result, on atmosphere.

This evening in Limerick will be lower-key, as Tipperary and Galway meet again for a teatime throw-in.

They are old rivals in All-Ireland quarter-finals and semi-finals, most recently two years ago when Galway got the better of their opponents in Liam Cahill’s first year in charge of Tipp. He was effectively playing with the remnants of the 2019 All-Ireland winners.

This year, although a few of those remain, it is noticeable that the team is far more reflective of the county’s more recent under-20 success.

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At the start of the year, success for Tipperary would have been to redevelop the team and get out of Munster, ideally as far as the All-Ireland semi-finals and some Croke Park experience.

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Coincidentally, the first match this year in the league was against Galway. Tipperary people were worried about relegation and going up to Pearse Stadium in Salthill was a really huge test and one that many felt they wouldn’t be able to handle, and also because Micheál Donoghue was back in charge.

Galway were very experimental on the day, more so than Tipp, who won well but all of the star performers of the match went on to maintain that form – the likes of Jake Morris, Andrew Ormond, Sam O’Farrell, Eoghan Connolly and Darragh McCarthy, who played very well.

Andrew Ormond assesses his options during last month's Tipperary v Waterford Round 4 match in Thurles. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

They also reached the league final against Cork, which was probably a good learning experience for them in Páirc Uí Chaoimh even though it didn’t feel like it at the time. So, the younger hurlers have built a fair bit of experience and it’s safe to say that Darragh McCarthy won’t forget the pitfalls of “getting stuck in” before the throw-in, which got him red-carded in the round-robin match, also in Cork.

Donoghue, though, has had to revert to a lot of his more experienced players and they picked up some form in the championship. The league featured them losing matches against “benchmark” opponents, apart from an understrength Kilkenny, who have since handed them two serious beatings in Leinster.

I saw them win in Parnell Park and they were better than expected even though Dublin were terrible. Then a couple of weeks later they disappeared for a chunk of the Leinster final, having started well – Conor Whelan was outstanding – and Kilkenny blitzed them.

Where the recovery came from at the end I have no idea. Brian Concanon’s goal seemed to indicate the recovery was on and only for that goalkeeping mistake, they were right back in the game. It was nearly a sensational last 10 minutes.

It’s impossible to know what their form is going to be like. Cathal Mannion has played consistently well and the half backs held their own two weeks ago, but as a team they’re probably somewhere between the Parnell Park level and the worst of the Leinster final with its shapeless hurling.

Galway's Cathal Mannion and Kilkenny's Paddy Deegan in the Leinster final. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

Galway will find Tipp in a quarter-final in the Gaelic Grounds a far more palatable task than Kilkenny in a Croke Park Leinster final. Tipp are more vulnerable to pace than anything. Good and all as Cathal Mannion has been, Ronan Maher will prefer to see him coming rather than Darragh Fitzgibbon.

Kevin Cooney is the man with the real wheels and he did damage two years ago in this same fixture and was good again in their operative phase of the Leinster final. He’s the one I expect to concentrate Tipp’s minds, especially if Galway keep Conor Whelan out around the half forwards.

I know that needs must and all that, but he’s more of a threat on the inside and scored 1-4 from corner forward in the corresponding fixture two years ago.

Tipperary are improving and will get better. Cahill has them working very hard and their forwards, from the veteran John McGrath to Jake Morris, who’s near his peak, to McCarthy and Andrew Ormond, are a good mix coming together. They would be more of a handful in the semi-finals and with that improving trajectory, I expect them to get there.

Limerick are obviously happy to get a run-out in Croke Park at this stage and, to be fair to them, it is hard to see any great jeopardy in their quarter-final. Last year, Dublin pushed Cork to the brink but didn’t appear to appreciate how close they were.

I was very disappointed with them against Galway, having felt that they were doing a lot of the right things, even in defeat against Kilkenny: taking scores more easily, playing a lot more simply and effectively.

Limerick manager John Kiely and players at the Muster final. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho

Their touch was much better and it all fell apart really after four or five bad wides in the first few minutes against Galway, so I’m inclined to think that they’re a bit better than that but this is the ultimate test for them.

There was nothing between Limerick and Cork in the Munster final, which left it to penalties. The problem for John Kiely is that since 12 months ago, they have lost their campaign for five successive All-Irelands and now what would have been a seventh Munster title in a row.

It may be that they peaked for Cork in the round-robin fixture in May but they are now in unfamiliar terrain after six years of winning Munster and getting a four-week break to the All-Ireland semi-finals. Instead of going business class to Croke Park, they are forced to get up for a six o’clock departure.

Limerick were well below their best two weeks ago. Their touch was poor, their decision making and shooting, wayward. Yet again this season, they didn’t hit the 30-point mark and have only managed that just once – against Cork the first day.

They may not need to improve to beat Dublin but they will have only two weeks to find their best for an All-Ireland semi-final. John Kiely will want to see the graph rising this week.