Clare v Tipperary: Tipperary may have ridden their luck getting past Limerick, but the precious commodity ran out on manager Ken Hogan with the news that full back Philip Maher had injured his knee at training last weekend.

The one unmitigated positive that Tipp could take out of the two Limerick matches was that the defence had gelled the second day, showing great improvement and vindicating the changes made by Hogan and his selectors.

At the heart of the performance was Maher and his loss is a big setback going into this semi-final. Less heralded is the unavailability of Ger "Redser" O'Grady, omitted from the panel after his extra-curricular pursuits in Limerick.

Even though his role seemed to have been defined as that of an impact sub, O'Grady had made a nuisance of himself against Limerick and scored two goals in the process.

The switch of John Devane from attack to fill in for Maher has occupied much of the pre-match discussion, but Devane is a full back by nature and has proved himself a good one at underage and Fitzgibbon Cup levels.

That Hogan resisted the more obvious move of Paul Curran, who filled in competently for Maher during a previous injury, is more a reflection on the options at corner back with Martin Maher still not back to full fitness.

But Tipperary's defence should manage although memories of three years ago when Tony Griffin plundered six points will give a nervous edge to the early stages for Hogan. The same day David Forde scored two goals and, given his good scoring record against Tipp, 4-11 in six Munster matches, his omission is surprising - particularly with the result coming down to which of the attacks make the most impression on a day that looks likely to be dominated by defence.

Francis Devanney's recall was possibly more of a surprise than Devane's redeployment given how ill at ease the Toomevara man looked in the drawn match with Limerick and how sparingly (10 minutes in extra-time) he was used in the replay.

Yet, he is named at centre forward where Tommy Dunne did such a good job in the Limerick replay. The question mark over Clare's defence is that of mobility, but equally how ready are Tipperary to exploit that?

Brian Lohan has at times been bothered by big full forwards and Micheál Webster fits that bill, but has he the predatory techniques to turn that into scores? It's a tight call, but Tipperary's two ultra-competitive outings to date are big advantages against a side playing their first championship match of the season and that will probably tilt the balance.

Clare: D Fitzgerald; F Lohan, B Lohan, G O'Grady; A Markham, S McMahon, G Quinn; B O'Connell, C Lynch; D McMahon, T Griffin, B Nugent; T Carmody, N Gilligan, A Quinn.

Tipperary: B Cummins; E Corcoran, J Devane, P Curran; D Fanning, D Kennedy, D Fitzgerald; B Dunne, P Kelly; C Morrissey, F Devanney, T Dunne; E Kelly, M Webster, L Corbett.

Clare v Tipperary- Last five championship meetings

1999 Munster Semi-final Replay

Clare 1-21 Tipperary 1-11

After a Davy Fitzgerald goal earned a replay, Clare extended their winning streak over Tipperary to six years by running out 10-point victors, only to relinquish their provincial title against Cork.

Clare: D Fitzgerald; B Quinn, B Lohan, F Lohan; L Doyle, S McMahon, A Daly; O Baker, C Lynch; J O'Connor, N Gilligan, A Markham; D Forde, S McNamara, B Murphy.
Tipperary: B Cummins; D Fahey, F Heaney, L Sheedy; C Bonnar, D Kennedy, E Corcoran; E Enright, C Gleeson; T Dunne, D Ryan, B O'Meara; L Cahill, P Shelly, J Leahy.

2000 Munster Semi-final

Tipperary 2-19 Clare 1-14

A resounding victory to end the most successful period in Clare hurling history. Ger Loughnane had stepped down soon after, but Tipperary were still a year off their purple patch as they too lost the Munster final to Cork.

Tipperary: B Cummins; P Ormonde, P Maher, M Ryan; J Carroll, D Kennedy, E Corcoran; T Dunne, J Leahy; M O'Leary, D Ryan, B O'Meara; E O'Neill, P Shelly, P O'Brien.
Clare: D Fitzgerald; B Quinn, B Lohan, F Lohan; L Doyle, S McMahon, A Daly; O Baker, C Lynch; T Carmody, E Flannery, A Markham; G Quinn, E Taaffe, N Gilligan.

2001 Munster Semi-final

Tipperary 0-15 Clare 0-14

A hair-raising affair only sullied by a serious knee injury sustained by Mullinahone star John Leahy. Tipperary kept going in the championship all the way to September glory.

Tipperary: B Cummins; T Costello, P Maher, P Ormonde; J Carroll, E Corcoran, P Kelly; T Dunne, C Gleeson; M O'Leary, E Enright, B O'Meara; E Kelly, D Ryan, L Corbett.
Clare: D Fitzgerald; B Quinn, B Lohan, F Lohan; D Hoey, S McMahon, G Quinn; O Baker, C Lynch; T Carmody, J O'Connor, A Markham; D Forde, N Gilligan, B Murphy.

2002 Munster Quarter-final

Tipperary 1-18 Clare 2-13

Another tooth-and-nail encounter. After beating Limerick, Tipp lost the Munster final to Waterford. Both teams made it to the All-Ireland semi-finals with Clare beating Waterford, while eventual champions Kilkenny eased Tipp out.

Tipperary: B Cummins; T Costello, P Maher, D Fahey; E Corcoran, D Kennedy, P Kelly; C Gleeson, N Morris; B O'Meara, T Dunne, L Corbett; E Kelly, J O'Brien, E O'Neill.
Clare: D Fitzgerald; B Quinn, B Lohan, F Lohan; D Hoey, S McMahon, J Reddan; C Lynch, G Quinn; T Griffin, J O'Connor, A Markham; N Gilligan, T Carmody, D Forde.

2003 Munster Quarter-final

Clare 2-17 Tipperary 0-14

With Niall Gilligan and James O'Connor to the fore, Clare shook the Tipperary weight off their backs, though they then lost to Cork and Galway. Tipp quietly arrived at the All-Ireland semi-final where they were emptied by a ruthless Kilkenny.

Tipperary: B Cummins; M Maher, P Curran, B Dunne; B Horgan, D Kennedy, P Kelly; T Dunne, N Morris; B O'Meara, C Gleeson, L Cahill; E Kelly, J Carroll, L Corbett.
Clare: D Fitzgerald; B Quinn, B Lohan, F Lohan; D Hoey, S McMahon, G Quinn; C Lynch, D McMahon; T Griffin, A Markham, J O'Connor; N Gilligan, T Carmody, A Quinn.