The odds on Galway ending their 24-year wait for Liam MacCarthy Cup glory have shortened considerably after they held strong favourites Kilkenny to a draw three weeks ago.

Joe Canning's last-gasp equalising free means that Kilkenny have failed to beat the same opposition in successive championship meetings - something that has never happened before under Brian Cody's stewardship.

The angry exchange between Cody and his Galway counterpart Anthony Cunningham after referee Barry Kelly awarded Galway substitute Davy Glennon the controversial free that led to Canning's injury-time equaliser, coupled with Canning's claim that Henry Shefflin displayed unsporting behaviour in the drawn encounter, suggests that there is no love lost between the teams. It also places referee James McGrath - who has already handled the Walsh Cup and Leinster final meetings of the sides this year - under huge scrutiny in what is his first All-Ireland final.

Hurling fans or the GAA for that matter - the Association stands to make an additional €3 million from the first hurling final replay since Kilkenny and Waterford ended all square in 1959 -won't be complaining that the inter-county season has been extended by an extra week. The expectation is that this eagerly-awaited rematch will be as good, if not better, than the titanic tussle we witnessed three weeks ago.

While they won't admit it, Galway are fast becoming a bogey team for Kilkenny. Since Brian Cody took charge of the Cats at the end of 1998, they have won a remarkable 52 of the 61 championship games they've played. But of the nine games they've failed to win (two were draws), four were against Galway. Not many teams can boast that kind of a record against the mighty Cats who Cody is preparing to lead into their 13th All-Ireland final in 14 seasons.

Widely regarded as hurling's biggest underachievers, Galway have been reinvigorated this year under Cunningham and his trusted lieutenants Tom Helebert and Mattie Kenny. The concession of 4-12 and 3-15 against Westmeath and Offaly respectively en route to the Leinster final pointed to certain defeat against the black and ambers but, in a sensational upset, the Tribesmen stormed to a 2-21 to 2-11 victory to take the Bob O'Keeffe Cup across the Shannon for the first time. It was extraordinary to see them do to Kilkenny what the All-Ireland champions have done to so many others over the years.

The decision to fix a round of important club championship games for the following weekend ensured that the Galway players were brought back down to earth quickly for their All-Ireland semi-final against Cork. After an evenly contested first half, the Leinster champions upped the ante after the restart to run out 0-22 to 0-17 winners, with Joe Canning helping himself to 0-11.
Galway proved in the drawn All-Ireland final that their provincial triumph over Kilkenny was no fluke. Boosted by Joe Canning's early goal, the 11/4 underdogs twice led by seven points in the second quarter. There were five points, 1-9 to 0-7, between the sides at the break, but Kilkenny stormed back into the game after the restart to take the lead by the 54th minute through the inspirational Henry Shefflin, who finished with a personal tally of 0-12 (0-11 from placed balls).

The impressive Niall Burke then struck for Galway's second goal to edge them back in front, but Kilkenny refused to panic and looked set to prevail when Shefflin opted to tap over a 69th minute penalty which gave them a slender 0-19 to 2-12 lead. But there was one final twist which saw Canning show nerves of steel to slot over the equaliser with the last puck of the game.
Save their Leinster final meltdown and their first half displays against Limerick and Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final and All-Ireland final respectively, Kilkenny have been close to their best this year. They routed Cork in the Allianz League final, did the same thing to Dublin in the Leinster semi-final and produced one of the best ever 35 minutes of hurling any of us have ever seen against Tipperary in the All-Ireland semi-final to win on an emphatic 4-24 to 1-15 scoreline after being a point down at the interval.

But they still go into Sunday's replay with more questions to answer than their opponents. The failure of Michael Fennelly to make an impact at midfield, combined with the surprising lack of scoring threat from Richie Power, Colin Fennelly and Aidan Fogarty in the drawn game, will be a huge source of concern for Kilkenny fans. With Iarla Tannian dominating midfield the last day, the loss of Michael Rice to injury and James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick to premature retirement is being sorely felt on Noreside.

Kilkenny also struggled in the air with the sight of Brian Hogan being out-fielded by Niall Burke on a couple of occasions causing panic in their rearguard. But what will frighten the All-Ireland champions the most ahead of the replay is Galway's pace. There is little doubt that the Galway forwards have the legs on the Kilkenny backs and if they run at them, it could be a very fruitful day for the Tribesmen.

Galway will also need to show improvement if they're to win the replay. Instead of pushing on when they established a seven-point lead the last day, they were guilty of sitting back and inviting Kilkenny on to them. When the Cats upped the tempo in the third quarter, the quality of their finishing deteriorated alarmingly (they hit seven wides compared to Kilkenny's one in the second half). And when Niall Burke scored their second goal, which resulted from a collision between two Kilkenny backs, they failed to press home their advantage again.

Kilkenny wouldn't have got this second chance if it wasn't for their brilliant leader Henry Shefflin, who dragged them almost single-handedly back in the game on September 9. It goes without saying that the Ballyhale man will need greater support from his attacking colleagues if they're to complete the job on Sunday.

It will be interesting to see how Galway will react if Kilkenny can get an early run on them. In both the Leinster final and the drawn All-Ireland final, the maroon and whites stormed into early leads, resulting in Kilkenny having to play catch-up. If Kilkenny get ahead, Galway could be forced to abandon the defensive system which has been such a success for them this season. And, of course, there is also a danger that Joe Canning's comments could backfire on them.

It has been suggested that this Kilkenny team is nearing endgame, yet how does one explain how they finished the drawn match the stronger? Galway, who remain the only unbeaten team in championship 2012, will have taken huge encouragement from the last day and may have struck a psychological blow by forcing the replay.

It is very tempting to write Kilkenny off, but if they can stop Galway from racing into an early lead and get big performances from the likes of Michael and Colin Fennelly, Richie Power and Eoin Larkin, who were well below their best three weeks ago, they may finally master the Tribesmen at the third time of asking.

Verdict:Kilkenny

Kilkenny - David Herity; Paul Murphy, J J Delaney, Jackie Tyrrell; Tommy Walsh, Brian Hogan, Kieran Joyce; Richie Hogan, Michael Fennelly; Cillian Buckley, Richie Power, Eoin Larkin; T J Reid, Walter Walsh, Henry Shefflin.

Galway - James Skehill; Johnny Coen, Kevin Hynes, Fergal Moore; Niall Donoghue, Tony Og Regan, David Collins; Iarlaith Tannian, Andy Smith, David Burke, Niall Burke, Cyril Donnellan; Damien Hayes, Joe Canning, James Regan.

Odds: Kilkenny 1/2, Draw 11/1, Galway 2/1

Match Details: Croke Park, Sunday 30 September, 3.30pm Tweet

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