Despite last year's success over Cork and a solid NFL campaign, Clare aren't as obviously superior to Tipperary as used to be the case - and even that didn't stop Tipperary winning their last championship tie four years ago. The controversial League match between the counties three months ago also went Tipperary's way although Clare were just back from holidays at the time. Under John O'Keeffe, Clare are a formidably drilled outfit but seem to find scoring difficult. Tipperary have some fine forwards and a solid centrefield but may be under pressure further back although the defence played well, albeit in the undemanding circumstances of the last round's easy win over Waterford.
Team Selection:
Clare: J Hanrahan; A Malone, F Griffin, P Gallagher; B Keating, B Rouine, D O'Sullivan; J Considine, P Cosgrove; G Keane, F McInerney, M Hynes; J Enright, S Hehir, M Daly.
Tipperary: P Ryan; N Kelly, C O'Dwyer, L Cronin; B Hahessy, M Sheahan, S Collum; D Foley, J Costello; S Maher, B Cummins, B Burke; P Lambert, M Spillane, D Browne.
Team News: Tipperary make no change from the win over Waterford. John Costello has returned from suspension after being sent off in that match and resumes his centrefield partnership with Derry Foley. Clare have only one newcomer, Senan Hehir, who has played in the last two championships for London and who transferred to Clare for the NFL. Centre forward Francis McInerney and goalkeeper James Hanrahan have survived injury scares and take their places.
Key Confrontation: Even amongst a good-quality attack, Declan Browne has attracted plaudits over the last two years. This year, undistracted by injury he has given two high-class, manof-the-match displays against Limerick and Waterford. His opponent will be Alan Malone, the UCG Sigerson player whose performance on Browne was, according to Clare manager John O'Keeffe, "the one positive thing we took out of the League match". It is a measure of Browne's importance that the couple of points he took off his marker that day didn't stop Malone from being credited with a good performance.
View from the camps: "From our point of view, it's been easy to put it on the line that Tipp wouldn't be a pushover. The League defeat just spelt it out. We have prepared long and hard for this. Really the challenge for us is to play as well as we're capable." - John O'Keeffe (Clare manager).
"I believe we have it in the forwards and midfield as good as anything that's out there, Derry Foley's as good as anyone. If we can stop goals going in, we're well capable of matching them." - Brian Burke (Tipperary captain).
Verdict: Clare.
