Crunch time in Tipperary county senior football championship, with semi-finals set for double bill

And then there were four.
The finalists in the FBD Insurance County Senior Football Championship should be known by around 5pm on Sunday evening, after both semi-finals have been played in a double bill in Golden.
Championship favourites Clonmel Commercials take on Moyle Rovers in a local derby at 1.30, while holders Loughmore/Castleiney will face Upperchurch/Drombane at 3.15.
Commercials are 1/4 favourites to beat Moyle Rovers (7/2). When the teams met in the south final back in June, Commercials won by 2-12 to 0-12, and are strongly fancied by many to repeat that success.
However, this tie might not be the foregone conclusion that many expect. Since the county championship began Commercials have yet to experience a really stern test. In the quarter-final they cruised past Arravale Rovers by 0-21 to 1-2, although they might be concerned by the fact that they failed to find the net in the course of that easy victory.
They have also had a change of management mid-season, with Robbie O’Dwyer stepping down for personal reasons. The new management team, led by Tommy Morrissey, will have been worried by the injury sustained by Jamie Peters while playing for St Mary’s in last weekend’s Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship tie against Silvermines.

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By contrast, Moyle Rovers were pushed all the way by Ardfinnan in their quarter-final, only getting home by the bare minimum (0-12 to 0-11), and they’ll be hoping that they’ll be all the better for that experience.
As outsiders, they’ll approach the semi-final with the attitude that they’ve nothing to lose and can be expected to give it a right go.
The other semi-final also has warm order favourites, with Loughmore (8/15) fancied to reach the final for the third year in a row. Upperchurch/Drombane (2/1) upset JK Brackens in the quarter-final to reach the last four for the first time, with Paul Shanahan’s goal from a penalty proving crucial in their 1-11 to 0-10 win.

The Church are also through to the senior hurling semi-finals, a distraction that last year’s double winners Loughmore/Castleiney don’t have this time around, following their defeat by Drom/Inch last weekend.
Loughmore produced a typically tenacious performance to beat Kilsheelan/Kilcash in the quarter-final, when John Ryan’s first half goal was worth its weight in gold.

Free to focus on the football, they’ll be confident of reaching another final.