Galway full-back Finian Hanley is predicting a high-scoring encounter against Tipperary in today's All-Ireland SF qualifier at Tullamore.

The Salthill/Knocknacarra clubman believes it will be a 50-50 game between two evenly-matched teams.

"Both teams play quite similar types of fast, open football and both have taken a lot of good scores in the championship," he pointed out to the Irish Independent.

"We put up a good score against London and Sligo and got 16 against Mayo.

"Tipperary have been hammering every team so that in itself says a lot about the game ahead and that's why there is a bit more interest in it."

A place in the quarter-final stages of the All-Ireland SFC, and a 'rattle' against Kerry, would, in Hanley's estimation, represent progress by Alan Mulholland's charges.

"The ambition for Galway, first of all, is to try to win a Connacht title, regardless of what stage you are at. We tried to do that against Mayo but we came up short.

"The next stop is to go up to Tullamore and win the match and get back to Croke Park and have a rattle at Kerry and that would show real progression.

"Obviously we know what we are up against. We played Tipp last year and beat them, but it is a totally different Tipp team this year and everyone would accept that. It's going to be tough." Tweet

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