Teams for Munster Final Expected Tonight

With three days to go to the Munster Hurling Championship Final, both Waterford and Tipperary are expected to name their starting 15 tonight, with the Tipp selection unveiled at 9pm after training in Thurles.

Ken McGrath and Gary Hurney are definitely out for the Déise, while captain Stephen Molumpy is a major injury doubt, according to today's Irish Examiner.

Tipperary, on the other hand, could very well start with the same 15 that disposed of Clare in the Semi-Final. Shane Maher still doesn't appear to be quite fit after the injury he picked up in the League Final in May, and lack of game time will go against him also. Worryingly for the Premier County, new hotshot Noel McGrath (pictured against Cork) and old hotshot Eoin Kelly both sat out training on Tuesday night, with thigh and back strains respectively. However, both are expected to be fit for selection tonight.


Other rumours emerging from this writer's home county include a possibility of an introduction of Hugh Maloney to the half-forward lines, and Brendan Maher to the backs, but as aforementioned don't be surprised to see the same 15 that lined out against Clare.

Update on teams will follow tomorrow.

When You Miss A Potential Classic

Apologies for a complete lack of any hurling guff last week, in the busiest and best weekend for the sport of kings thus far this year. Wins for Waterford, Tipp, Kilkenny and Dublin seems them all progressing to inter-provincial finals (particular kudos to the Dubs for their first appearance since '91), as many would have predicted. Kilkenny must be delighted that Galway are in Leinster this year, as that's as good a game as they've got prior to July in many years, while Tipperary again looked as if they were passing around a bottle of whiskey at half-time, given their tendency to try and throw away leads.


Speaking of comebacks, a classic encounter took place in Pairc Uí Chaoimh on Wednesday night last, as Tipp and Cork Minors played out what seemed like an exhilirating 5-17 each draw. On account of work, I couldn't make it down to Cork, but accounts filtering through over the airwaves seemed to make it seem like one of the best games played at any grade in a long time. Disgracefully, no local radio station seemed to carry live commentary of the game. Anyway, onto the game: Cork led at one stage in the second half by five or six points, only for Tipp to claw their way back and go three points up, before Cork managed an injury time equalising goal (2-15 to 3-12 at that stage).

Tipp came out of the blocks in extra time with two goals in the first half, racing into an eight-point lead. Cork incredibly pegged them back, scoring two more goals themselves, and leading by two, when John "Bubbles" O'Dwyer came off the bench (he started the game, was substituted in the second half, came back on at end of second half, was subsituted again, and came back on again, scoring 2-6 in the process) and netted a Tipp goal, before a Cork 65 in injury time deservedly sent the game to a replay next Wednesday in Thurles at 7.30pm

It has the potential to be another absolute cracker.

Waterford V Limerick - Munster Hurling Semi Final Preview

Surprisingly, the first Munster Senior Hurling Semi Final of the year has crept us on with barely a whimper until the last day or two. Perhaps, the somewhat poor form of both Waterford and Limerick in the league with both teams finishing on just six points had something to do with it, but when the draw was made for this tie, it had all the ingredients for a real humdinger.

And do you know what? It still has. If you asked me before the league campaign got underway, I'd have slightly favoured Limerick in this affair; the Justin McCarthy factor and the fact that if Limerick turned up like they did for the 2007 Championship swung it for me. And while both teams finished level on points in the League - Waterford actually beating Kilkenny by four points, and Limerick running the Cats extremely close and losing by just one - Waterford's form has been slightly the better of the two, and they even managed to catch Bernard Dunne's fight prior to their defeat to the Dubs.

McCarthy doesn't seem to have discovered a number of new players since taken over the reigns for the Treatymen this year; then again, he may not have needed to, given that the nucleus of the three-in-a-row U21 team should be still in their prime. However, that team has become one of the most underachieving proving that underage success doesn't always indicate similar honours at Seniors grade (see also the Tipp U21 team of 79-81 who had to wait until '87 before even gaining Munster Senior success).

Nonetheless, McCarthy has quality players at his disposal, and runs with a fairly experienced line-up - Damien Reale at corner-back is as tight a marker as there is, Brian Geary is at Centre-back, and former Young Hurler Of The Year Seamus Hickey has recovered from injury to be moved out to Centre-Field. In the forwards, the Moran brothers (Ollie and Niall) and Andrew O'Shaughnessy is where Limerick will be expecting to garner some scores.

However, there are times when Limerick seem completely lacking on the scoring front, relying on free-taking or O'Shaughnessy turning on the style; "Shocks" probably best sums up Limerick's forwards, in that he can blow as hot and cold as a Triton in need of desperate maintenance. Yet, Limerick did manage to score five goals against Waherford just two years ago in the All Ireland Semi.

This, you can beat your bad debts on, is the stick that Davy Fitzgerald is hitting the Deise players with in his dulcet tones in the run up to this tie. John Mullane has just about recovered from his hamstring injury to assume his place in a forward line more than capable of scoring, particularly if Eoin Kelly is in form. Throw into the equation Ken McGrath starting at Centre-Forward (will he?) and you've one heck of a match up with Geary.

Waterford's backs can still be a little bit suspect, even if they had made improvements in this area in the last year or two - will Michael 'Brick' Walsh have the same impact at centre-back as Ken McGrath? Time will tell.

Thurles will be a melting pot come 4pm on Sunday, and this game really could go either way. For some bizarre reason, I've a sneaky feeling this one could end all square - now that's sitting on the fence. Making a prediction on this just seems too tricky, but if I had to, I'm going to say Waterford by two points.

Limerick: B Murray; D Reale, S Lucey, M O'Riordan; S Walsh, B Geary, M Foley; D O'Grady, S Hickey; J Ryan, O Moran, N Moran; A O'Shaughnessy, J O'Brien, D Ryan.

Waterford: C Hennessy; E Murphy, D Prendergast, N Connors; K Moran, M Walsh, A Kearney; S O'Sullivan, S Molumphy; S Prendergast, K McGrath, J Nagle; J Mullane, E Kelly, E McGrath.