Tipperary to win but Dublin can take positive steps

Two teams very much on a rehabilitation mission have made good progress since the start of the year. In Dublin’s case the season was all about getting back to Division One A but ending up as road kill tomorrow afternoon would take some of the good out of it. That’s not likely to happen,

Tipperary need the league to re-state their credentials after the disappointment of last year and have acquitted themselves creditably since the opening-night embarrassment in Cork

Rash of injuries
But the team selection indicates Eamon O'Shea is still consulting his charts even allowing for the rash of injuries in the forwards. Pádraic Maher is switched to full back, where he first impacted on the senior team, and Noel McGrath starts at centrefield.

Eoin Kelly is a particular loss as he has looked in better shape at this stage of the season than for a while – indicative of one of O'Shea's interim achievements in getting the senior figures settled back into the team.

Counter-intuitively, Brendan Maher is moved to wing back despite having rediscovered a good piece of the exceptional form at centrefield that marked the All-Ireland season three years ago.

Dublin have been having their own problems. Conal Keaney was replaced in the Division One B final against Limerick and John McCaffrey has had difficulty adjusting to a new role but manager Anthony Daly was pleased with the crucial impact made by his replacements in that match, as well as the availability – in contrast to the past two years – of a mostly fit panel of players.

One of those replacements, David Treacy comes in for Paul Ryan, who has the flu.

Dublin will be rusty after spring in the lower division but the pressure’s off and they have a good record against Tipp under Daly and are capable of a good showing, even if Tipp are the likely finalists.

TIPPERARY: B Cummins; P Stapleton, Pádraic Maher, M Cahill; B Maher, C O'Mahony, D Maher; N McGrath, S McGrath; S Callanan, L Corbett, Patrick Maher; S Bourke, P Bourke, J Forde.
DUBLIN: A Nolan; P Kelly, P Schutte, R Treanor; T Carton, L Rushe, S Durkin; J Boland, S Lambert; C Keaney, J McCaffrey, D Sutcliffe; C McCormack, D O'Callaghan, D Treacy.
Referee: B Gavin (Offaly)