Gaelic Games/Limerick v Tipperary Preview: When the counties met in this year's league, Tipperary won at a canter and Limerick were wretched but since that stark afternoon in February, the picture has become greyer, both counties' sole Munster championship outings providing the shade
As a result we have a match intriguingly poised. Tipperary would feel they have recovered from last year's trauma but the spectre of that fearful trimming by Kilkenny still haunts the team and looks to have affected their appetite for intense championship action of the type they specialised in when winning the All-Ireland three years ago.
Whether that self-confidence can be rediscovered on what is expected to be a wet evening in the Gaelic Grounds with the home side fired up is open to doubt, but whichever side wins will have enhanced momentum.
Whereas Limerick's defeat by Cork wasn't without redeeming features, Tipperary were very disappointing against Waterford. Limerick did better than expected; Tipp did worse and were suitably disheartened.
The most striking aspect of that match was how reliant Tipperary were on Eoin Kelly. Viewed positively, Kelly's colleagues can't be as collectively unproductive again. Viewed negatively, that's been the way of things this year, with the exception of Benny Dunne, who normally contributes more.
From Limerick's perspective this is encouraging but not completely reassuring. On his own Kelly poses more of a goal threat than Cork managed four weeks ago and is equally deadly from the placed ball, with which Limerick were stringently punished in the league for a sequence of foolishly committed fouls.
More discipline will be needed at the back because the impressive statistic of conceding only nine points from play was quite undermined by the 1-9 total from placed balls.
Tipperary's problems were not in defence but manager Ken Hogan has nonetheless strengthened the unit by starting Martin Maher and bringing Declan Fanning into the centre-back position he earned during the league until injury derailed his championship preparations.
Nor were Limerick's forwards a slick and varied threat. Niall Moran posed the greatest menace, with four points from play - Seán O'Connor's two goals, while brilliantly taken, were isolated cameos.
But they were able to launch a concerted surge at the end of the match once O'Connor's second goal kick-started their comeback. If Limerick can manage extended sequences of that sort of play Tipperary will be in trouble because even Cork's defence had to scramble to hang on to the match.
Tipperary have a greater supply of proven players but their focus and hunger can no longer be taken for granted. How they will respond this evening no one knows but the guess here is that they will survive.
Tomorrow evening sees draws for the next round of the football and hurling qualifiers. In the draw for round two of the football are Clare, Derry, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Longford, Louth, Offaly, Waterford, Cork, Leitrim or Roscommon, Galway or Mayo, Cavan, Tyrone, Meath and Westmeath or Wexford. Matches are scheduled for next weekend but details won't be announced until Monday.
The hurling draw will be for round two only if Galway lose to Down and need their second-chance entitlement.
Otherwise the draw will be made for round three, involving the winners of this weekend's qualifiers - Galway v Down, Limerick v Tipperary, Dublin v Kilkenny and Clare v Laois - plus the losers of the provincial finals: Cork v Waterford and Offaly v Wexford. Matches are scheduled for the weekend of July 10th.
LIMERICK: J Cahill; D Reale, TJ Ryan, M Cahill; O Moran, B Geary, P Lawlor; C Smith, M Foley; M McKenna, JP Sheehan, N Moran; A O'Shaughnessy, S O'Connor, D Sheahan.
TIPPERARY: B Cummins; M Maher, P Maher, P Curran; E Corcoran, D Fanning, D Fitzgerald; C Morrissey, P Kelly; T Dunne, E Enright, B Dunne; S Butler, J Carroll, E Kelly.
Referee: A Mac Suibhne (Dublin).
