Welcome to today’s live coverage of the All-Ireland semi-final showdown between Mayo and Tipperary. Here’s how the teams are named to start:
Mayo
1. David Clarke (Ballina Stephenites)
2. Oisin Mullin (Kilmaine)
3. Chris Barrett (Clontarf)
4. Lee Keegan (Westport)
5. Patrick Durcan (Castlebar Mitchels)
6. Stephen Coen (Hollymount/Carramore)
7. Eoghan McLaughlin (Westport)
8. Conor Loftus (Crossmolina Deel Rovers)
9. Matthew Ruane (Breaffy)
10. Kevin McLoughlin (Knockmore)
11. Ryan O’Donoghue (Belmullet)
12. Diarmuid O’Connor (Ballintubber)
13. Tommy Conroy (The Neale)
14. Aidan O’Shea (Breaffy — captain)
15. Cillian O’Connor (Ballintubber)
Tipperary
1. Evan Comerford (Kilsheelan-Kilcash)
2. Alan Campbell (Moyle Rovers)
3. Jimmy Feehan (Killenaule)
4. Colm O’Shaughnessy (Ardfinnan)
5. Bill Maher (Kilsheelan-Kilcash)
6. Kevin Fahey (Clonmel Commercials)
7. Robbie Kiely (Barryroe, Cork)
8. Steven O’Brien (Ballina)
9. Liam Casey (Cahir)
10. Colin O’Riordan (Killea)
11. Michael Quinlivan (Clonmel Commercials)
12. Conal Kennedy (Clonmel Commercials)
13. Brian Fox (Éire Óg Annacarty-Donohill)
14. Conor Sweeney (Ballyporeen – captain)
15. Colman Kennedy (Clonmel Commercials)
It’s time for your predictions. Who do you think will join Dublin in the final?
Poll Results:
Mayo 0-1 Tipperary 0-0
2 mins – Cillian O’Connor’s 55th championship game starts with an easy free after Ryan O’Donoghue was fouled.
Mayo 0-1 Tipperary 0-1
3 mins – Colin O’Riordan, who has started at wing-forward, brings Tipperary level with his first point of the season.
Match-ups wise, Lee Keegan is on Michael Quinlivan and Chris Barrett is marking Conor Sweeney.
CHANCE! Michael Quinlivan goes through one-on-one and forces a sensational save from David Clarke.
Mayo 0-2 Tipperary 0-1
7 mins – Aidan O’Shea is fouled and O’Connor doubles his tally from 40m.
CHANCE! Clarke saves well from Conor Sweeney from close-range. Tipperary might have scored two goals in the first 10 minutes.
GOAL! Cillian O’Connor palms into the net after 9 mins against Tipperary.
GOAL! Brian Fox replies immediately with a goal for Tipp.
Mayo 1-2 Tipperary 1-1
11 mins – What a start to this All-Ireland semi-final. Tipperary are causing serious problems in the Mayo full-back line with the high ball inside.
Mayo 1-3 Tipperary 1-1
11 mins – O’Connor’s third free from three flies between the posts.
Mayo 1-4 Tipperary 1-1
13 mins – Mattie Ruane adds a point for Mayo as they move three in front.
Mayo 1-5 Tipperary 1-1
15 mins – Durcan’s pace brings him past his marker Fox and he handpasses over the bar.
Mayo 1-6 Tipperary 1-1
16 mins – Tommy Conroy grabs a mark after a ball in from O’Connor and pops it over.
Here’s a look at the two early goals.
A remarkable 60 second spell sees both Mayo and Tipperary score a goal each #RTEGAA @RTE2 @RTEplayer pic.twitter.com/FzJm2P9CtF
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) December 6, 2020
Mayo 1-6 Tipperary 1-2
19 mins – Steven O’Brien fetches a high O’Riordan ball into the area and slots over. We’re at the first-half water break now.
Mayo 1-7 Tipperary 1-2
21 mins – Kevin McLoughlin breaks through and sends a goal chance over the bar. Tipperary are dropping bodies back but Mayo are slicing through them with relative ease.
Mayo 1-7 Tipperary 1-3
22 mins – Sweeney’s first score of the match arrives from a free.
Mayo 1-9 Tipperary 1-3
24 mins – Some lovely inter play from Mayo results in a Tommy Conroy score from play.
GOAL! Mayo’s Cillian O’Connor grabs his second goal of the game.
Mayo 2-10 Tipperary 1-3
25 mins – Cillian O’Connor has 2-5 after his latest point. Mayo are in complete control now.
Mayo 2-10 Tipperary 1-4
27 mins – Sweeney curls over a badly needed free for the Premier.
Mayo 2-11 Tipperary 1-4
27 mins – Aidan O’Shea catches a long ball in and fists over. Brilliant ball in by McLoughlin.
GOAL! Cillian O’Connor completes his first-half hat-trick for Mayo.
Mayo 3-11 Tipperary 1-4
30 mins – O’Connor capitalised on a poor ball by Liam Casey to his goalkeeper.
Mayo 3-12 Tipperary 1-5
34 mins – 3-6 now for Cillian O’Connor and 3-9 for the Mayo full-forward line in a devastating opening period.
GOAL! Diarmuid O’Connor scores Mayo’s fourth goal of the first-half.
A dominant first half from Mayo and Cora Staunton has been highlighting Cillian O'Connor's finishing prowess for his second goal #RTEGAA @RTE2 @RTEplayer pic.twitter.com/A9iL2gqcsK
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) December 6, 2020
🔥Cillian O'Connor scores a first-half hat-trick!🏐🏐🏐
— Sky Sports GAA (@SkySportsGAA) December 6, 2020
The @MayoGAA sharp-shooter has bagged 3-6 in the first-half! pic.twitter.com/Ot3vtLH8T3
We’re back underway for the second-half. The fog is worsening in the capital but hopefully the game can be finished.
Mayo 4-13 Tipperary 1-5
36 mins – Cillian O’Connor brings his tally to 3-7 early in the second period.
BLACK CARD! Quinlivan is hauled down as he bears down on goal by Lee Keegan, who is off for 10 minutes.
Mayo 4-15 Tipperary 1-7
42 mins – Sweeney (free) and Conor Loftus trade scores.
Tipperary have almost won a penalty on successive attacks, but this time Eoghan McLaughlin committed a foul just outside the area. Jordan Flynn has replaced Diarmuid O’Connor on the Mayo team.
GOAL! Cillian O’Connor adds his fourth goal of the game!
Mayo 5-15 Tipperary 1-7
45 mins – O’Connor scores his fourth after a fine ball inside by McLoughlin, who is pulling the strings for Mayo.
Mayo 5-16 Tipperary 1-8
47 mins – O’Connor again for Mayo, that’s 4-8 he’s scored now.
Mayo 5-17 Tipperary 1-8
50 mins – Still 20 minutes to go here and Mayo have 5-17 on the board.
Padraig O’Hora makes a brilliant block with his head to deny Tipperary a goal chance.
Mayo 5-17 Tipperary 1-9
53 mins – Sweeney converts another free for Tipperary.
Mayo have five goals and it was Cillian O'Connor shining again in the confusion of the Croke Park fog #RTEGAA @RTE2 @RTEplayer pic.twitter.com/1VNFks5SKL
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) December 6, 2020
GOAL! Paudie Feehan races through and scores Tipp’s second goal.
Mayo 5-17 Tipperary 2-9
57 mins – Tom Parsons has entered the fray for Mayo, replacing Ryan O’Donoghue.
Mayo 5-17 Tipperary 2-10
59 mins – Kevin Fahey scores for Tipperary. It’s double scores with Mayo ahead by 16 points.
Mayo 5-17 Tipperary 2-11
62 mins – Sweeney pops over another close-range free for the Premier.
Tipperary send their seventh goal chance of the day narrowly wide. They have cut Mayo open a number of times which will be of concern to James Horan.
Mayo 5-17 Tipperary 2-11
64 mins – Colin O’Riordan scores his second of the day. To their credit Tipperary have continued to battle. Mayo haven’t scored since the second-half water break, while Tipp have 1-3.
Mayo 5-17 Tipperary 2-12
64 mins – Tommy Conroy tags on his fourth from play. He’s a real livewire and has given the Premier defence a torrid time.
Cillian O’Connor has been replaced by Darren Coen. Just the 4-9 for O’Connor today.
Mayo 5-19 Tipperary 2-12
68 mins – Darren Coen gets in on the action with a score.
GOAL! Conor Sweeney brings his tally to 1-9 with a lovely finish.
Mayo 5-17 Tipperary 3-13
70 mins – Sweeney’s goal puts some respectability on the scoreboard.
While keeping Hooper in Australia for the next 5 years is obviously the priority, 5 years is a big commitment for Hooper to make for one contract, even if it’s for 5 million. Financially it would be a great move for Hooper but whether he wants to tie himself down for that long is questionable.
I personally think that the ARU would be better off putting a 3-year contract on the table for 3 million-which is still too much for European clubs to buy out for 2 years at least-and then look at it again in 2021. Add in the factor that there is a high injury rate for international backrows in their late twenties and the ARU could possibly offer less money in 3 years time.
Regardless of whether Hooper takes the contract or not, this offer shows the desperate state that Australian rugby union is in at the moment.
@EK: With league cherry picking some of union’s best youngsters (Ponga and Crichton to name but a few), the ARU needs to keep as many high-profile names at home as possible-there has to be some union players for youngsters to aspire to. Too many young union players want to be the next Cooper Cronk(another union schoolboy) or Greg Inglis rather than the next Will Genia or David Pocock. Union’s not dead yet in Australia, but it could be soon if they don’t take drastic action.
@EK: the ARU have mismanaged the game to catastrophic levels in the last 15 years. All the focus was on setting up new franchises and very little on grassroots development. As a result the game suffered in Queensland and NSW, and didn’t even make a dent in Victoria or WA.
He’s no Dan Leavy