Mentality will be key in how Tipp tackle Laois challenge
All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Quarter Final Preview
TIPPERARY v LAOIS
Croke Park
Sunday 14th July
Throw-in @ 4.00pm (E.T.)
Referee: Colm Lyons (Cork)
It can be easy to look at the nature of the opposition but Tipperary have to focus on this All Ireland quarter final against Laois in a professional manner on Sunday.
As there tends to be when Tipperary are hot favourites for a championship game, there is a lot of loose talk around the county about the possible margin that the premier county will win by while some supporters are holding back on attending, ahead of a possible semi-final against Wexford in two weeks time.
However, that is highly insulting to a Laois side that are at this stage on merit and deserve to be treated with the respect they have earned as we saw what can happen last Sunday when Dublin were caught looking slightly ahead.
If Tipperary were playing Dublin instead at Croke Park this Sunday, it would be looked on as a very tricky encounter but the fact that it is Laois shouldn't change anything, the bar the fact that Tipperary will be wearing a different strip due to a colours clash.
Whether it is Laois or Limerick, it shouldn't matter who Tipperary are playing in this quarter final as it has to be about Liam Sheedy's men having the right mentality to bounce back from the Munster final defeat and get their All Ireland ambition back on track. One poor performance and defeat shouldn't change that but if a hangover remains from the LIT Gaelic Grounds, it wouldn't be a good portent of things to come.
What we need to see on Sunday is akin to the Tipperary of 2009 who came into the All Ireland semi-final against Limerick as raging hot favourites and put the Shannonsiders to the sword in the early stages, taking away any belief they might have had. If not, we could be in for a similar afternoon as we got against Westmeath in the qualifiers in 2017 where only a save from Darren Gleeson prevented the underdog midlanders from being level in Thurles with fifteen minutes to go.
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