Tipperary vs. Kilkenny All-Ireland Semi-Final, Croke Park, 19th August

[Premier Emperor]

Hurling's 2nd biggest all time rivalry and the biggest rivalry of the last 5 years.

I think the Cats are ripe to be skinned. Beaten out the gate against Galway, average against Limerick in a game they should have been bouncing back in.
Richie Hogan suspended after a referee inexplicably took a Kilkenny player to task for dangerous play, Michael Fennelly still coming back from injury.
Now their website has collapsed!

Tipp have been in 2nd gear so far this year and hopefully are coming to the boil. There is a bit of concern about our backs being a bit loose. In attack we are really starting to fire. Bonnar Maher is possibly the most under rated player in hurling at the moment. Lar still has the intelligence and lethalness of old and hopefully the stamina. Pa Bourke is starting to hit a rich vein and I expect something big from Eoin Kelly.

Tipperary by 7.

[CitySlicker11]

Could well agree with you that Tipp are favourites for this one, but could not see them winning by 7 points. If there is going to be a big margin in this game then I would see it as being in Kilkennys favour. They are used to putting these types of scores over teams at this period of the season, however, if Tipp can get their heads right mentally going in to this game then the semi and an All Ireland title are well within their grasp.

[Reillers]

To put it bluntly I hope Tipp beat them out the gate. Hurling's second biggest hurling rivalry? Really?

[CorkMan]

I'm still expecting a backlash from the Galway game, which never came against Limerick. If it's going to come it'll be against Tipp imo.

[kilkennycat2004]

To put it bluntly I hope Tipp beat them out the gate. Hurling's second biggest hurling rivalry? Really?

We certainly won't be beaten out any gate anyway that's for sure.

Training going well , good spirit in the camp, I'd say we'll edge it by about 4 points if Fennelly & Rice do the business in midfield.

[Asal Mor]

Will Richie Power be fit for this game?

[Milltown Row2]

To put it bluntly I hope Tipp beat them out the gate. Hurling's second biggest hurling rivalry? Really?

We certainly won't be beaten out any gate anyway that's for sure.

Training going well , good spirit in the camp, I'd say we'll edge it by about 4 points if Fennelly & Rice do the business in midfield.

Good to see a Kilkenny poster on board now, would dip into the cats fourm the odd time, good oul board to be fair

[johnneycool]

Not sure if Kilkenny are back on track just yet. In the semi-final they were gifted a couple of goals by Limericks defence who seemed to have went walk about, leaving Shefflin on his own inside the 21. That aside, I think Limerick weren't that far away. The return to form of the little darling Tommy will be a bonus for Kilkenny And TJ Reid looked good again.

Tipp have been doing just enough so far to get them through. They'll need to step it up another gear which they are well capable of, I just don't have confidence in Declan Ryan to make the right moves in the heat of battle to get them over the line if its tight.

Will go for Tipp by 2 points.

[seafoid]

I was in petits in gorey this morning and there was poster of the irish indo hurling coverage 2012 that showed Tipp v the cats . The final is on early this year.

[kilkennycat2004]

Will Richie Power be fit for this game?

Yeah no problem with Richie. We'll probably line out the same as the last day other then TJ Reid for the suspended Richie Hogan.

Its going to be a real battle on  August 19th, will make some of these olympic events seem like tiddley winks

[Premier Emperor]

To put it bluntly I hope Tipp beat them out the gate. Hurling's second biggest hurling rivalry? Really?

We certainly won't be beaten out any gate anyway that's for sure.

Training going well , good spirit in the camp, I'd say we'll edge it by about 4 points if Fennelly & Rice do the business in midfield.

Good to see a Kilkenny poster on board now, would dip into the cats fourm the odd time, good oul board to be fair

A great forum if you were from Kilkenny and wanted to tell everyone how great Kilkenny were.
A few contributors from other counties who tried to bring a bit of realism to proceedings weren't welcome.
Red Rebel was a great contributor until he got banned.

[Reillers]

To put it bluntly I hope Tipp beat them out the gate. Hurling's second biggest hurling rivalry? Really?

We certainly won't be beaten out any gate anyway that's for sure.

Training going well , good spirit in the camp, I'd say we'll edge it by about 4 points if Fennelly & Rice do the business in midfield.

I said I hope, we can all live in hope.

On more than one occasion a hell lot of GAA people hoped Cork would be humiliated (for whichever reasons) and I can't pretend that we (along with most fans I imagine) were delighted to see Galway do it to your lot. (Once in a blue moon but it reminds everyone Kilkenny are human and beatable).

I admit it was nice to see a few Kilkenny fans who got that a little bit ahead of themselves over the last few years, predicting a 10 point plus win, put in their place and reminded that nothing lasts forever.  A little bit too much arrogance has crept in over the years. (It says a lot coming from a Cork supporter )

I agree with you though, I imagine a 4/5 point win for Kilkenny. As much as I enjoyed it, I imagine that Galway game was a blip and we're still waiting Kilkenny's real response, whether that's unleashed against Tipp or if they keep that for Galway, or Cork for that matter (God help us) still we'll learn a lot from the game, but I can't see beyond a Kilkenny win unless Tipp have an exceptional day.

[homeofhurling8]

I just don't have confidence in Declan Ryan to make the right moves in the heat of battle to get them over the line if its tight.

I would disagree with that actually Johnney, i feel we have seen a different side to Deccie this year, i know the lads i speak to on the panel have been impressed with him and his compadres thus far this year, i think he was in a lose/lose situation last year having taken over an all Ireland winning team, had he put his own stamp on the team it would have led to questions of why change a winning formula and of course having changed very little(Fanning was retiring win or lose in September 2010) he has been accused since of not evolving Sheedys team !

Dropping Eoin Kelly isn't a decision lightly taken by any Tipp manager(ask Babs !) but Declan went about it in a professional manner as he did with the decision to go with a new captain this year, he approached Eoin personally in both cases and explained his reasoning behind the decisions which was accepted and appreciated by Eoin, i personally don't think Sheedy would have made either call, i also think he handled the Lar situation very well.

I think his decision making on the sidelines in Tipps three games this year has been swift and decisive, making substitutions before half time in two of the three games and giving arguably Tipp greatest ever hurler the curly finger while the Limerick game was still in the melting pot,his handling of a breach of discipline post the Limerick game was handled impressively imho, the individuals involved weren't singled out but the entire panel were called together for a fairly severe dressing down during which he left panel members in no doubt about what was expected of them, i believe his straight talking no nonsense approach has galvanised the entire panel as numbers 16-32 are aware that if they are performing in training then their chance will come, something that a couple of panel members i know didn't feel under the previous management, if the boy wonder aint safe then nobody is !

[johnneycool]

I just don't have confidence in Declan Ryan to make the right moves in the heat of battle to get them over the line if its tight.

I would disagree with that actually Johnney, i feel we have seen a different side to Deccie this year, i know the lads i speak to on the panel have been impressed with him and his compadres thus far this year, i think he was in a lose/lose situation last year having taken over an all Ireland winning team, had he put his own stamp on the team it would have led to questions of why change a winning formula and of course having changed very little(Fanning was retiring win or lose in September 2010) he has been accused since of not evolving Sheedys team !

Dropping Eoin Kelly isn't a decision lightly taken by any Tipp manager(ask Babs !) but Declan went about it in a professional manner as he did with the decision to go with a new captain this year, he approached Eoin personally in both cases and explained his reasoning behind the decisions which was accepted and appreciated by Eoin, i personally don't think Sheedy would have made either call, i also think he handled the Lar situation very well.

I think his decision making on the sidelines in Tipps three games this year has been swift and decisive, making substitutions before half time in two of the three games and giving arguably Tipp greatest ever hurler the curly finger while the Limerick game was still in the melting pot,his handling of a breach of discipline post the Limerick game was handled impressively imho, the individuals involved weren't singled out but the entire panel were called together for a fairly severe dressing down during which he left panel members in no doubt about what was expected of them, i believe his straight talking no nonsense approach has galvanised the entire panel as numbers 16-32 are aware that if they are performing in training then their chance will come, something that a couple of panel members i know didn't feel under the previous management, if the boy wonder aint safe then nobody is !

I'll bow to your greater knowledge hoh, but I think he'll have a few more big calls to make next sunday on whether he sticks Paudie Maher on shefflin no matter where he goes or takes a chance on the man in that position to do a job. I personally thought Kilkenny deliberately targeted the Tipp rhb in the AI last year and got too much joy before a change was made. Tipp can't afford that to happen again.

[homeofhurling8]

I would think the chances of man marking Shefflin with Paudie are zero Johnney, Paudies deliveries into the forwards are far too important for Tipp, i have a feeling Shefflin will be on O'Brien in the corner to start with to try and exploit the height difference.

I wouldn't have any great worries about Shefflin on Tom Stapelton either as Henrys game ain't about speed and thats Toms achilles heel,in fairness I don't believe Tipp will be worrying unduly about Shefflin in any case, Rice and Fennelly are the beating heart of this Kilkenny team now,Fennelly in particular, the work the pair of them are asked to do to link the forwards and backs is phenomenal as Cody will undoubtedly have his halfbackline as deep as last years final to limit the space in front of the full backline that cost them so dearly in 2010, the result will largely hinge on Tipp creating space by dragging the half backs out which will require us to at least break even in midfield.