Opportunity knocks for Tipperary in the All-Ireland as Rebels feel the weight of pressure.
By Noel Dundon
If you’re reading this column on the eve of the All-Ireland senior hurling final, it’s fair to say you’re not remotely weary of the flood of analysis, the chorus of expert opinions, and the feverish pre-match theatre swirling around this rare and tantalising collision between Tipperary and Cork on hurling’s grandest stage.
It’s hard to summon a memory of another game where the glare of the spotlight has burned quite so brightly. And equally hard to recall a contest so smothered in unanimity when it comes to predictions. Every pundit I’ve read or heard seems convinced: this is Cork’s coronation, the Rebels’ day of destiny. Not one has dared tip Tipperary. And that, you suspect, suits Tipp down to the ground.
In many ways, this build-up echoes the drumbeat to the 2010 final when Liam Sheedy’s Tipperary were cast as mere extras in Kilkenny’s epic drive-for-five saga. We all remember how that script was torn to shreds. I recall asking Brian Cody at the post-match press conference whether all the hype around Kilkenny’s history-making quest had set them up for a brutal fall. He nodded, admitting as much, but pointed out there was little they could do except hammer home in their own camp that the match still had to be won on the pitch. They tried to ignore the noise, but in those razor-thin margins where titles are won and lost, some of that static inevitably seeped in.
Now, Cork find themselves standing in a similar storm on the eve of tomorrow’s clash. The noise is deafening. All the talk, all the expectation, is that they will finally bridge the twenty-year chasm since their last All-Ireland. The tattoos are already inked, the novelty car plates printed, the t-shirts flaunting bold proclamations. And that, right there, is a perilous place to be. Pat Ryan and his team will be drumming into their players the need to block it all out, to stay laser-focused, to resist being swept away by the tidal wave of their own hype. Because this kind of hype can either carry you to glory or drown you in its deep and dark swell.
And here’s the thing: if Cork are burning precious energy just to keep their feet on the ground, there may be openings there for Tipperary to exploit. If Cork are consumed by managing minds, maybe other areas of their preparation won’t get the attention they need.
Tipperary, by contrast, sleep easy tonight. Liam Cahill and his men know they simply have to deliver a ferocious performance to have a chance of lifting silverware. They know exactly what to expect — Cork in full flow holds no mystery. But Tipperary at full throttle? That is a creature Cork hasn’t yet encountered this year. And all the pressure — every ounce of it — rests squarely on Cork’s shoulders.
They say semi-finals are about surviving — and both Tipp and Cork have ticked that box. But finals? Finals are about seizing the moment when it arrives. And it will arrive tomorrow. Think back to 2011: Tipperary spurned their chances and Kilkenny walked away victorious. But a year earlier, Tipp grasped every single chance and shattered Kilkenny’s dream. That’s the fine line between triumph and despair.
Much has been made about Tipp needing to ‘manage’ Cork in the opening quarter — nonsense. Tipp must manage Cork for all four quarters, starting with the first and ending with the last. But Cork, too, will need to manage Tipp in all four, fully aware that this Tipperary team has finished both halves with a powerful flourish throughout the championship. Watch how Cork may be forced to adjust if Tipp begin to find their rhythm.
Tipperary in an All-Ireland final are a dangerous beast — it’s as simple as that. Forget what the bookies say, ignore the pundits’ rankings. This is Tipperary in Croke Park: a team that has evolved into something fierce, something no opponent relishes facing. After the semi-final against Kilkenny, a prominent pundit confided that a member of Cork’s backroom team admitted to fearing Tipp more than Kilkenny. That fear runs deep. Cork’s nightmare is losing another final — this time to Tipperary. A loss for Cork could be devastating. For Tipp? A setback, but nothing fatal.
And tomorrow, Tipperary will look to sink their teeth into that fear from the very first whistle. Good luck Lads.
Sean Flynn on how to beat Cork, Click HERE
