Preview- High stakes as Kilkenny and Tipp do battle for place in All-Ireland Final

After six years of avoiding each other in championship hurling, Kilkenny and Tipperary will finally reunite for a blockbuster All-Ireland semi-final meeting this Sunday afternoon (throw-in 4pm). - FULL PODCAST PREVIEW BELOW

The two rivals haven’t clashed since Liam Sheedy’s team got the better of the Cats in the 2019 All-Ireland decider in a final that is best remembered for Richie Hogan’s opening half red card.

Tipperary haven’t even reached a semi-final in the period since so there is a real sense of both counties having a huge opportunity in front of them.

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Kilkenny are looking to get back to hurling’s biggest day after missing out when going down narrowly to subsequent champions Clare last year and to date they have gone about their business very efficiently.

The route to this stage is a very familiar one to the Cats as they wrapped up a sixth Leinster title on the trot but in truth it was rather a procession throughout the provincial campaign.

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We still don’t really know where Derek Lyng’s men stand in an overall context as they probably haven’t had enough challenges up to this point.

Kilkenny had impressive victories over Antrim, Offaly and Galway on the double whereas the closest battle was against Dublin at home as they almost let a big lead slip but evidence since then has shown that the side of capital are more than a match for anyone at the moment.

That route is in contrast to their opponents who have came out on top in tough battles with Waterford and Clare as well as drawing with Limerick while their one defeat has a bit of an asterisk after Darragh McCarthy was given a straight red card in the opening minute away to Cork.

Tipp have since accounted for Laois and Galway in comfortable fashion and they are travelling to Croke Park with a lot of confidence in the back pocket.

Kilkenny will go into this game as maybe slight favourites but they still have a bit to prove at the same time as their neighbours have had the upper hand across all grades recently.

The Premier County have won All-Ireland titles at minor and under-20 level at the expense of the hosts in Nowlan Park over the last two years and that will have irritated more than a few Kilkenny supporters.

While it does have to be taken with a degree of a pinch of salt, Kilkenny have also been on the wrong end of the last three league meetings between the teams so Derek Lyng and the players will feel that a win is overdue against one of their fiercest rivals.

There is no doubting that more pressure is probably on the Cats going into this one as they are a more seasoned and experienced outfit who have been competing at the latter end of the competition for much of the last decade since winning their last All-Ireland title.

The Kilkenny team can nearly pick itself and you’d imagine we’ll see similar on this occasion but the Cats have been hit with a couple of bad injury blows since defeating Galway in the Leinster final three weeks ago.

The squad recently partook on a training weekend at Johnstown House which seemed to go well in most aspects but it has resulted in both Harry Shine and Marty Murphy seeing their seasons all but at an end after coming away with serious injuries.

A knee injury looks like it will keep Shine on the sidelines for an extended period while Marty Murphy is also going to miss out this weekend after he picked up a hamstring knock.

In better injury news, Eoin Cody is back in action and available for selection and his return to the forward line will be a huge boost.

The former young player of the year has not featured in Kilkenny colours since the Antrim game in round two of the Leinster championship back in April, but such is the challenge of the opponents, it would be no surprise to see him go straight back into the starting 15.

The team itself is progressing as the year goes on with Adrian Mullen being a prime example after he scored four points from play on only his second championship start of the year.

Throw in the likes of Billy Ryan and Mossy Keoghan having the season of their lives and Stephen Donnelly having a breakthrough year alongside TJ Reid, who still doing the business, and it looks like the Cats have the aces to do damage.

While Tipp looked good at spells in their big win over Galway, their defence looked open at times. If Kilkenny get those same opportunities, you’d expect to see them score a couple of goals.

Up top has maybe been the Kilkenny Achilles heel in recent seasons. While they might still lack a bit of an x-factor, the team looks well stacked in other areas of the field.

Jordan Molloy and Cian Kenny are arguably the most in-form midfield in the country while they also possess power at the back with Huw Lawlor dominating the skies from full-back.

The half-back line is also a good attacking platform with Paddy Deegan and Mikey Carey capable of getting forward for a few points.

We can assume Kilkenny to produce a 7/8 out of 10 performance, but the unknown about their opponents is the big question mark for Sunday.

With Sam O’Farrell, Andrew Ormond and Darragh McCarthy part of the flourishing new generation and John McGrath, Jason Forde and Ronan Maher still plugging away, it’s all set up for a classic encounter.

Bring it on!

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