WHAT’S been happening between Galway and Tipperary hurlers over the past decade has gone against the grain.

Up to their All-Ireland semi-final meeting in 2015, Tipperary had won 20 of the counties’ previous 26 championship clashes.

But there has been a significant upheaval in their respective fortunes against each other since Shane Moloney flashed over that winning point at Croke Park ten years ago.

That victory initiated a trend where Galway now have the upper hand in this championship fixture. The teams have met four times in the interim and the Tribesmen have come out on top in all bar one – the 2016 All Ireland semi-final.

We appreciate the record books don’t have much of an influence on the outcome of matches, but nowadays Tipperary don’t spook Galway like they used to – certainly, not in the way that Kilkenny currently do.

It was late January when the teams last clashed competitively, but that opening round league tie will have even less relevance on how Saturday’s All-Ireland quarter-final at the Gaelic Grounds (6:15pm) turns out.

It was the first game of Micheál Donoghue’s second coming as Galway team manager, but his experimental line-up fell to a comprehensive defeat (3-25 to 2-16) at Pearse Stadium.

Only five players from that starting Galway team – Kevin Cooney, Fintan Burke (assuming he’s recovered from the leg injury picked up in the Leinster final), TJ Brennan, Tom Monaghan and Conor Whelan – are likely to be involved on Saturday.

Since that game, Galway have been a mixed bag. They also suffered heavy league losses to Cork and Limerick but managed to overturn Kilkenny at Nowlan Park in finishing up mid-table in Division 1A.

Unfortunately, when Galway and the Cats came together in the opening round of the Leinster championship at the same venue, Kilkenny romped home by a margin of 12 points despite Cathal Mannion’s scoring exploits.

That result put some pressure on Galway, but they began to build momentum with expected wins over Offaly, Wexford and Antrim before turning over Dublin at Parnell Park in a game which made a mockery of the cliché that goals win matches.

Dubin scored three; Galway scored none but still won by five points (0-29 to 3-15) on a day Monaghan, Whelan and Brian Concannon raised a dozen white flags between them.

Ahead of the Leinster Final against Kilkenny, there was growing hope behind Galway and for much of the opening half the team was holding its own until an opportunist Martin Keoghan goal close to the break.

Yet, what unfolded over the opening 20 minutes of the second half proved nightmare viewing for Galway fans. They failed to score from play during that period as Kilkenny stretched 13 points clear.

The way the final was evolving, an eventual thrashing of 20-plus points couldn’t be ruled out, but from out of nowhere Galway rallied. Mannion again led the charge; there was a goal from Brian Concannon, while substitute Tiernan Killeen was on target twice.

Pictured: Galway’s Darren Morrissey getting to grips with TJ Reid of Kilkenny during the Leinster Senior Hurling Final. The Tribesmen face Tipperary in Saturday evening’s All-Ireland quarter-final at the Gaelic Grounds.