Tipperary full back Paul Curran is refusing to look beyond tomorrow's Munster SHC semi-final against Clare. The Premier boys are hot favourites to progress to another provincial final, but Curran is taking nothing for granted. "They had a poor league campaign, people are writing them off, but we always find it difficult against Clare," he said. "They beat us handy in the Waterford Crystal back in January, and I know that was a long time ago, but it happened. They're a lot better team than their league results suggest, they have big, quality forwards - not many counties have that kind of physical presence. "People are writing them off, but they haven't disappeared. It's a derby - every match in Munster is. It's full blooded and whoever is most up for it will be the team to come out on top - look at Limerick and Waterford last Sunday, where Limerick were being written off. "They went into that game nice and quietly, no expectation, they were the ones with all the negatives, so the pressure was on Waterford." The Clonmel-based schoolteacher admits that he was taken aback by the strength and mobility of ex-Aussie Rules player Aisake O hAilpin, who he marked in Tipp's first round win over Cork. "There was so much unknown about him, and I think I got caught out myself. With the height of him, I was expecting a lot of high balls, I wasn't expecting him to play as he did, running left and right. I had readied myself for the aerial bombardment, but it never came. "He's very strong, especially in the upper body. What I found difficult was his ability to push you back, which comes from Aussie Rules, hold you off, lever off you while you're knocked back. He'll be a real threat in a month or so, when he has more hurling." Tweet

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