If recent meetings are anything to go by, the 2017 Allianz Hurling League final between Tipperary and Galway could be another absolute cracker.
Squeezed in between two nail-biting All-Ireland semi finals in the last two summers was an enthralling 2-19 to 1-22 draw in Salthill in last year’s league, with Joe Canning pucking 1-11 and John O’Dwyer’s late point earning Tipp a draw.
Add up the scores from their last three meetings and the aggregate is level 4-63 to 6-57. Decent scoring, in any man’s language.
As reigning All-Ireland champions though, Tipp will certainly be favourites to end a nine year wait for a league title, and claim their 20th overall. The Premier have been in the decider three times since their last win in 2008, losing all three times to Kilkenny.
For Galway, it’s also been a relatively long wait for the trophy, their last title coming in their last appearance in the decider, when the Tribesmen were eight point winners against Cork in Thurles in 2010. And while the ultimate aim for the men out west is to end their 29-year All-Ireland drought, defeating the reigning All-Ireland champions in a big final would be a valuable stepping stone.
Aside from a complete malfunction in the final quarter of an hour against Wexford early in the campaign, it’s been a strong league for them. They dished out heavy defeats on Offaly, Laois and Kerry, before finishing second in 1B, grinding out a win against Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds. They dug deep against Waterford in the quarters, coming from 10 points down to advance to the last four, before overpowering Limerick once again at the Gaelic Grounds last week. They may not be promoted, but we've seen in past seasons that a strong championship can still be had out of 1B.
The only blemish for Tipperary came in their defeat to Cork in the final round of games, but the Premier already had their quarter final spot secured heading into that game at Páirc Ui Rinn. They’ll probably be more battle-hardened than Galway, after taking on the likes of Waterford, Clare and Kilkenny, the latter of which they played out a thrilling draw with in Thurles. They cantered to a quarter-final win against Offaly, and the nature of their win against Wexford last week was a mark of champions, keeping their head above the water for long stages, before pulling clear late on.
But it will be interesting to see how they fare without Seamus Callanan, who misses this game with a broken thumb. John O’Dwyer is set to take his place at the edge of the square, and on paper he looks like a formidable replacement.
Much was made of Michéal Donoghue’s knowledge of the Tipp set-up in the build-up to last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, and while it certainly reaped dividends to an extent, they’ll need that and more to break down an incredibly physical set of Premier defenders.
Neither side will make or break their season this afternoon in Limerick, but at the very least we should have a tasty starter for an inviting summer of hurling.
