Old rivals Tipperary and Galway try to kick-start season

In the past 30 years or so it's been one of the hurling championship's defining fixtures. Tipperary and Galway have played each other on 10 occasions since the re-emergence of Tipp in 1987 and although back in those years the counties were the best in the country the relevance of the fixture has endured in more modern times.

Six times the winners have gone on to claim the MacCarthy Cup; twice reach the final and twice the semi-finals.

Tomorrow evening will be only the second time in the past 30 years that they have met in the championship outside of Croke Park. That’s partly a reflection of the diminished standing of both counties, as they prepare to fight for their status as contenders in the first round of the All-Ireland qualifiers.

One man with a presence on either side of the small border that separates the counties is John McIntyre, who played for his native Tipperary but in more recent years has managed Galway, his county of residence for more than three decades.

"I don't think the neighbouring counties aspect of it is that big a deal," he says of the counties' relationship. "I'm from Lorrha on the border with Portumna and it's a very small border area but the origins of the rivalry go back to when the Tipp resurgence happened. The county thought it had much of the hard work done by coming out of Munster again but Galway balked them in each of the first two years (1987 and ' 88).

"The next year was critical to both counties. Galway were going for a three-in-a-row for the first time in the county's history whereas Tipperary were desperate for an All-Ireland. Tony Keady had been suspended and there were suggestions – unproven – that Tipp had had a role in that."

An added tension that day came from the knowledge that as Antrim had sprung a massive shock by defeating Offaly in the other semi-final the counties felt that they were effectively playing for the All-Ireland.

“There was certainly no love lost and I suppose bitterness between the counties at that stage,” says McIntyre. “The funny thing was that back in 1980 I remember a lot of Tipp people rooting for Galway.

“My own father was quite emotional at them winning the All-Ireland. But the mood changed when they became rivals.”

Both counties have a trunk full of disappointments from the past few years. Tipperary haven’t pushed on since winning the All-Ireland in 2010, with current manager Eamon O’Shea coaching the team, whereas Galway came within touching distance of beating Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final of two years ago. Last year saw both counties lose their provincial title and disappoint in the All-Ireland series. Tomorrow will – barring a draw – be yet another demoralising season for one of the counties.

“It’s classic high stakes stuff in Thurles,” according to McIntyre. “There’s enormous pressure on both teams because there’ll be a huge fall-out for whoever loses. It’s very hard on the managers.

“It’s only 2010 since Eamon O’Shea was a hero for his work with the team that won the All-Ireland but he’s had difficult championships since losing all four games even though they could all have gone the other way . . .

"Anthony Cunningham came within a whisker of winning the All-Ireland in 2012 but not being able to follow through is all he hears about. I was coming out of Tullamore last Saturday and heard a supporter say, 'they didn't even try'. Some of the abuse teams get is ridiculous!

“I think there’s better in them and maybe there could be a better blend in the selection but I thought they battled honourably.”

McIntyre was in charge four years ago when the counties last played in the championship and the narrow win for Tipperary was viewed as transformative in their progress to the All-Ireland title but yet another false dawn for Galway.

“When I was manager we came so close to beating Tipp in 2010 having won the league that year but in 2011 we didn’t qualify for the league final and then lost to Dublin.

"Then we followed that up with big wins over Clare . . . and Cork . . . and then we got hammered by Waterford. All in the space of six weeks."

He believes however that for all of the fear of losing, this year’s championship is sufficiently open to be an encouragement for whoever wins.

“I think the winner will have a serious crack off the All-Ireland. Tipp are one big win from taking off and I think there’ll be a kick in Galway.”