NICKY ENGLISH HURLING ANALYSTWATERFORD HAVE failed on so many occasions at the All-Ireland semi-final stage but they usually come in as favourites or at least after a summer of blistering hurling. This time they made it here without so much as a single stand-out collective performance.
So we are breaking new ground tomorrow.
The problem with assessing this match is we are unsure which Waterford team will show up. They haven't produced the great form we know they are capable of since 2007. Some players, John Mullane and Eoin Kelly in particular, have been performing excellently, but as a unit they have been some way off their best.
There has been gradual improvement from the Offaly to Wexford matches but, particularly in defence, they have been way off the standard we had come to expect. If they can find their first collective performance of the year Tipperary could find themselves in serious trouble. Very few sides can live with them when they reach full intensity.
Whether they can flick a switch in August after being so flat in May and June is the conundrum. The big performance is always so difficult to unearth on a one-off basis.
Even with the arrival of Davy Fitzgerald as manager and subsequent return to some semblance of their old selves, Ken McGrath, Tony Browne, "Brick" Walsh and Dan Shanahan must all find the high standards of previous seasons if Waterford are to have any chance of progressing to an All-Ireland final.
Tipperary are the polar opposite as they haven't played now for five weeks. This cannot be compared to the Kilkenny lay-off and how they found top gear last weekend as Kilkenny always knew that their season only began at the All-Ireland semi-final stage. Contrary to the drum Brian Cody is understandably beating about how competitive Leinster actually is, there was no risk of them ever being caught.
Tipp capturing the Munster title was far from expected. True, it did confirm their National League success as genuine but the fear now is subconscious. Without realising it, some Tipp players may feel they have done enough this season and take their foot off the pedal. Achieving a first Munster crown since 2001 means many of these players are entering uncharted waters - in contrast to the Waterford lads who have been here several times before, including last season. They will have a valuable appreciation of the unique type of pressure that will come.
This is the primary challenge facing Liam Sheedy and his management team these past few weeks. The other significant concern for Tipperary is the injuries to Larry Corbett, Eoin Kelly and Conor O'Mahony and whether any of them might leave a residual trace that hinders one of this vital trio's performance.
Waterford have another psychological advantage. Tipperary have beaten them only once since 2000, including the 2002 Munster final when I was in charge, and that was two seasons back in Páirc Uí Chaoimh when Waterford had a few injuries and seemed largely disinterested.
Granted, this is a different Tipperary side this season but they will hold no fear of the Waterford men. They will believe they can win. It is the influence of young bloods like O'Mahony, Conor O'Brien, Shane McGrath and Seamus Callinan that must put a grain of doubt into Waterford minds as the match unfolds.
The attitude of Sheedy's team cannot be faulted. We could pick through their wins in Munster, like the under-performance of Clare in the final, but that is not their fault. They kept finding another gear to get out of trouble. They jumped every hurdle put in front of them.
The key for Tipp is to hit their stride as energetically as in previous games.
Hugh Maloney in for Pat Kerwick in the half-forward line is a slight risk as it seems Callinan will be shifted to the wing despite performing so well at centre forward.
Maloney, a defender by trade, brings an improved physicality to the half forwards and should win more ball for others to continue making a scoring impact.
A lot still depends on Eoin Kelly. Despite other players carrying the scoring burden this year, he remains the main source.
If Kelly and Corbett get enough ball they should continue in the rich vein of previous matches. I've already stated my opinion on the Ken McGrath experiment at full back. I belief it is ineffective as it sacrifices a valuable ball winner in Waterford's half-back line. If he was shoring up the full-back line okay, but there wasn't enough evidence of that against Wexford's Stephen Banville.
Looking at the team Fitzgerald selected, I believe Ken will feature further out the field. All three half backs, Declan Prendergast, Tony Browne and Kevin Moran, are capable of playing on the square's edge. The back line looks interchangeable and I expect them to adjust when or if necessary. Eoin Murphy has more often than not done well on Eoin Kelly and I expect he will be handed the task again.
Where Tipperary do have a massive advantage is base fitness. That work will prove crucial if matters are tight in the closing stages and I believe they will be. Davy Fitz has come in and made an impact but he hasn't been afforded enough time to work on fitness. That has to be done when the nights are shorter. This, allied with the superior Tipp bench, should see them through.
