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Last week’s semi-final wasn’t exactly the close encounter I had predicted, and on that evidence a win for either Tipperary or Waterford could be a curse more than anything. Kilkenny blew their biggest rivals of the last ten years out of sight, and that’s bad news for Sunday’s eventual winners.

This weekend’s contest should be a much closer affair. Davy Fitzgerald’s arrival as Waterford manager revitalised the team and instilled some of the old passion that was so obviously lacking in their Munster Championship defeat at the hands of Clare. The Deise also boast forwards that can cause major headaches for any team in the country. Eoin Kelly has been highly impressive in the qualifiers, and if Dan Shanahan and John Mullane can play at their best then Waterford are in with a tremendous chance.

Waterford’s biggest concern will be stopping Tipperary from scoring. Tipperary have plenty of options going forward, most notably their own Eoin Kelly along with Lar Corbett and Seamus Callinan. Fitzgerald’s decision to drop Ken McGrath back from the half-back line to full-back could have a major bearing on the outcome of this game. Even if McGrath can stem the tide in front of goal, Tipp can always call on other players to make their mark on the score board.

Verdict: Plenty of people fancy Tipperary to take this one, but Waterford have been in plenty of Championship dogfights in the past and that experience could prove vital in Sunday’s latter stages.