PREMIER AND TRIBE RIVALRY STILL COMPELS

THE Tipperary-Galway rivalry may have reached its zenith in the late 1980s, but it's arguably never been as even as it is now.

- BY PAT NOLAN

Granted, the hostility that existed between the rival managements, players and supporters in that 1987-91 period, all of which drained away in time, added a kick which sweetened the dish.

But what has broken out since has made for one of the most balanced, and arguably most undervalued, rivalries in the GAA.

Tipperary finished Galway’s greatest team with a runaway victory in the 1991 All-Ireland semi-final, but in the 12 Championship games that they have played since, they have been separated by three points or less on 11 occasions.