Tipp are better set for Cork challenge

GAA: All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final Preview

By Shane Brophy

CORK v TIPPERARY

Croke Park

Sunday, 20th July

Throw-in @ 3.30pm (E.T.)

Referee: Liam Gordon (Galway)

The narrative for this Sunday’s first ever All-Ireland Senior Hurling final between Tipperary and Cork is clear.

For Cork, victory would be the coronation of a team that has produced some spell-binding hurling through the course of this campaign, and with the National League and Munster Championships already won, they are aiming to complete the clean sweep to end their twenty year wait for a 31st All-Ireland title in style.

For Tipperary, a win would complete one of the most remarkable short term turnarounds in any sport in living memory, from a team so low on confidence, you couldn't confidently say they would have beaten Carlow in a relegation playoff, if there was one in 2024, to being All-Ireland champions just over twelve months later.

Indeed, just twelve weeks ago after the second round of the Munster round-robin when Tipperary were on the receiving end of a second drubbing at the hands of Cork in the space of 21 days, following on from the National League final, only one team, at that time, appeared to have the ability to compete for ultimate honours come the third Sunday in July.

However, that Tipperary have found their way through to the All-Ireland Final is not only down to their hurling ability, but also their sheer defiance that no challenge is insurmountable. It is what has made them worth following once again in the eyes of the Tipp supporters who are now four-square behind the team. They love a team that hurls with style, but they love a team more that gives everything for the blue and gold jersey. And it is for this reason Tipp have a fighting chance of winning a 29th All-Ireland senior title.

To the lazy eye, based on the two more recent meetings between the sides at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in April, Tipperary would need Cork to have an off day to get the better of them, such is the ability, pace, and athleticism they have.

However, Tipperary have become a better team since then. Going into the Munster round-robin encounter, they still didn’t know what they were, even off the back of a draw against Limerick seven days previous. They were still finding themselves, and they found more even in the face of a fifteen-point defeat, with the sheer spirit of their performance, despite playing almost the entire game with fourteen men following the first minute sending off of Darragh McCarthy. That they never threw in the towel and kept probing at Cork, scoring 24 points, shooting fourteen wides, and also created three goal chances.

Change

Tipp are also a different team since that meeting. It would have been easy to write off that game completely considering the numerical disadvantage but the manner in which they conceded the three first half goals, similar to the league final, couldn’t be ignored and changes were needed.

It wasn’t change in personnel, in fact the same back six which played most of the two games on Leeside will line out once again, Robert Doyle, Eoghan Connolly, Michael Breen, Craig Morgan, Ronan Maher and Bryan O’Mara. The only difference is they will be all given specific man-marking roles.

Ronan Maher’s lack of pace at centre back was exposed and he hasn’t largely featured there since, instead detailed to go on the oppositions most physically imposing player which plays to his strengths. In this regard, there are two, or possibly three players he could start on, from Brian Hayes or Patrick Horgan in the full-back line as well, as Declan Dalton or Seamus Harnedy (if fit) out on the wing.

Dalton was a particular thorn in the two games against Tipp who may have found a solution in the performance of Eoghan Connolly in the semi-final against Kilkenny on Adrian Mullen. Dalton is particularly effective in dropping deep to get on the ball, with the ability to shoot from long range, but in turn, drawing out his marker, giving his teammates behind him more space to run into. However, if Dalton is off his game, pulling Connolly up the field opens the possibility for the Tipp man to get scores as well.

One of the few individual bright moments from the Munster Championship clash was Robert Doyle’s performance on Alan Connolly, and while he might give away a few kilos and inches, he won’t in sheer heart.

Michael Breen marked Brian Hayes in both PUiC meetings and could do so again but could take up Horgan also while Craig Morgan and Bryan O’Mara are both adept at playing at centre back and could interchange to the wing as well between Darragh Fitzgibbon and Diarmuid Healy if that is who Cork go with.

Midfield

The biggest selection dilemma for the Tipperary management will possibly be in midfield to counteract the pace of Cork. Conor Stakelum was excellent in his unexpected start against Kilkenny, and has played well against Cork before, plus he also has a winning goal against the rebels in an Under 21 All-Ireland final to reflect back on with fondness.

Willie Connors has been consistent since coming back into the team against Waterford, both in terms of his aggression, and his ability to use the ball effectively and score. However, that he was taken off against Cork in the league final, albeit some of it was injury related, he might just be the wrong fit to start against this type of pacey opponent in the middle third with Darragh Fitzgibbon, Shane Barrett and Mark Coleman, whereas the power of an Alan Tynan or Seamus Kennedy might be required at the outset, with Connors better suited to come on in the second half when the game is stretched and his ability to use the ball well. Sam O’Farrell is also another option there such are his defensive instincts.

This is also area which Tipp will have to work like demons on as Cork's forwards can only thrive with the right service.

The rest of the forward line, injury permitting, appears easy to predict with Jake Morris and Andrew Ormond in the half forward line with Darragh McCarthy, John McGrath and Jason Forde inside.

Ormond was introduced at half time in the Munster meeting and played close to goal, scoring a point and had a decent goal chance which come to nothing. However, his new role at centre forward, dove-tailing with Morris, is something Cork won’t have experienced before which one of two key changes since that contest.

The other is in goal where Rhys Shelly is another unknown quantity to them, his ability on puckouts, not only pinpoint mid-range ones, to the hay-making wind-assisted ones which can pin a team back is something Tipp didn’t have earlier in the campaign.

Cork

Cork don’t tend to change their defensive set-up too much so their half-back line should be Ciaran Joyce, captain Robert Downey and Mark Coleman, all superb distributors going forward but will give away chances defensively.

There is debate in some quarters over whether Darragh McCarthy might be under pressure from under 20 colleague Oisin O’Donoghue, but the management know what they have in O’Donoghue off the bench similar to what McCarthy offers from the start. We don’t know what they can do in the reverse so better go with the devil you know.

The bigger debate is over whether McCarthy retains the free-taking role after four misses in his last two games. In a game where every score will be vital, particularly against a free-scoring Cork side, the safer bet would be to go with the experienced Jason Forde, who is striking the ball cleanly and at his confident best. It may well be that if there are a couple of easy frees early on, McCarthy might well get them as nerve-settlers.

McCarthy also has the task of making amends for his red card against Cork last time out after tangling with Sean O’Donoghue. He struggled on the wily corner in the league final also, but the Toomevara youngster don’t lack for belief and also has the ability to paint a picture for a referee with O’Donoghue getting away with murder against Dublin in terms of holding off the ball.

Cork were regarded as a soft team up until Pat Ryan took the reins, but they are not anyone. They are as cynical as any team in the country in terms of the dark arts, not just in the full-back line, but also defensively on puckouts in terms of blocking runs into space. But in John McGrath and Jason Forde, Tipp have players with two All-Ireland winners medal and know what it takes on the big occasion.

Home-straight

There isn’t much to choose between the two panels in terms of potential bench impact with Cork able to call on the likes of Shane Kingston, Luke Meade, Conor Lehane and Robbie O’Flynn, but Tipp have All-Ireland winning experience in Noel McGrath and Seamus Kennedy, the in-form Oisin O’Donoghue, plus the likes Darragh Stakelum tends to perform well against Cork where he played his college hurling with UCC and would be familiar with many of their players.

Every game is different so unlike the league final and Munster round-robin game where the result was determined at half time, if Tipp are within striking distance at the break, it would be a good spot to be in. They won’t be thinking like that in terms of just containing Cork in the first half, but it will be important to achieve some small little wins to tell themselves, this is different to the last two meetings.

Get it into the last twenty minutes, and they have every chance of becoming All-Ireland champions. Tipperary Abú!