Clare v Tipperary: Both sides seek to lay down marker

This afternoon, Clare and Tipperary will meet for the third time already this season, with a place in the national league final up for grabs.

Clare v Tipperary: Both sides seek to lay down marker

By Peter O’ Dwyer

This afternoon, Clare and Tipperary will meet for the third time already this season, with a place in the national league final up for grabs.

The neighbouring counties have recorded one win each in those encounters with Tipp coming out on top in the early-season Waterford Cup clash and Clare claiming a comfortable 4-22 to 3-11 league win in February.

This afternoon’s game is likely to bear little resemblance to those outings as both teams look to lay down a marker for the Championship fare that’s to come.

After a three week break, the teams will be fresh heading into today’s game and with ideal weather for hurling, fans can expect a better offering than Clare’s quarter-final victory over Laois who fought gallantly but, in the end, didn’t have enough to topple the reigning All-Ireland champions.

That match aside, Davy Fitzgerald’s men have been in tremendous form during the campaign registering three wins and a draw, with an away trip to Dublin their sole loss. The Banner manager has been keen to play down expectations all year, claiming that his side are some way behind where he feels they should be at this stage of the season, but performances have suggested otherwise.

Of great pleasure to the Clare panel must also be the emergence of the likes of Bobby and Peter Duggan and Paul Flanagan to keep last year’s all-conquering side on their toes.

In total, 12 of last year’s All-Ireland winning team have been named to face the Premier County this afternoon.

Cathal McInerney takes the place of last September’s man-of-the-match Shane O’ Donnell who is out with a hamstring injury, while Jack Browne replaces Conor Cooney from the win over Laois and goalkeeper Donal Tuohy will start between the sticks in place of Patrcik Kelly. Colm Galvin and Podge Collins are also restored to the Banner’s starting line-up having missed the Laois game.

For Tipp, the game represents an opportunity at further redemption following a less than satisfactory run during the league when Clare, Kilkenny and Galway hit the Premier for a combined 12 goals on their way to their respective victories.

At that stage, the Division 1A trapdoor was looming large for Eamon O’ Shea’s side but a hard-fought win against Dublin in the final round of fixtures steered the ship clear of the relegation play-off and, such is the nature of this league format, into the quarter-finals.

If Clare’s performance against the O’ Moore County was somewhat underwhelming by their high standards, Tipperary and Cork served up a classic at the same stage of the competition.

Some may wonder if the art of defending has been lost entirely as yet another huge score was racked up – but it certainly made for fantastic viewing and for Tipp the 3-25 to 4-19 victory was the perfect tonic after an arduous league campaign.

Now, O’ Shea’s men are presented with an opportunity to make a league final – a thought scarcely believable a month or so ago. O’ Shea has made five changes to his side in the hope of delivering that prize.

In come stalwarts Patrick “Bonner” Maher, Padraic Maher and Michael Cahill as well as Darren Gleeson and Cathal Barrett.

With so many goals conceded so far, it’s perhaps not surprising to see the leaky rearguard largely overhauled in the hope of stemming the flow. Only full-back Conor O’ Mahony remains of the last line of defence with Cahill and Barrett drafted in either side of him and Gleeson taking his place between the sticks behind.

Throw-in at the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick is at 4pm.

Clare: Donal Tuohy; Jack Browne, Cian Dillon, David McInerney; Brendan Bugler, Conor Ryan, Patrick O’Connor; Patrick Donnellan, Colm Galvin; John Conlon, Tony Kelly, Colin Ryan; Cathal McInerney, Conor McGrath, Podge Collins.

Tipperary: Darren Gleeson; Cathal Barrett, Conor O’Mahony, Michael Cahill; James Barry, Brendan Maher, Padraic Maher; Kieran Bergin, James Woodlock; Denis Maher, Noel McGrath, Patrick Maher; John O’Dwyer, Seamus Callanan, Niall O’Mear

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