Last Sunday’s Munster championship clash between old foes Tipperary and Cork was definitely a game of two halves if ever I saw one.
The Premier men may have advanced to a Munster semi-final clash with Clare after their one goal victory but their second half collapse will give manager Liam Sheedy great cause for concern.
Tipperary's failure to put Cork away when they had them on the ropes nearly cost them dearly. When Seamus Callinan goaled just moments after the re-start most people thought that the Premier men would coast to a handy victory. They had the perfect start to the new half but they failed to capitalise on it. The one thing that sets Kilkenny apart from the rest is that they go for the jugular when they are on top. Maybe some of the Tipperary forwards thought they had done enough because some of them seemed to go missing for the remaining 30 minutes. Denis Walsh, the Cork manager, would have woken up on Monday morning with mixed emotions. He will have been overjoyed by their gallant second half effort but equally disappointed to have let a great chance pass.
Let's call a spade a spade, Tipp were certainly there for the taking. There weren’t many goal chances created by either of the sides during the 70 minutes, but when Tipp's chance arose they accepted it and at the end of the day it was that major score that got them over the line. Cork missed two glorious chances at a time when they had their most dominant period. Unfortunately for corner forward Pat Horgan the onus fell on him, the first after the 6ft 6in debutant Aisake O'hAiplin set him up with a fine hand pass, with the goal at his mercy he blazed wide, moments later he missed a handy point, and then to cap off his day he blazed a penalty straight at Tipp keeper Brendan Cummins. If Cork had to avail of those chances I reckon Tipp would be heading for the scenic route.
The early stages of this game were balanced enough, the talented Eoin Kelly gave us a quick reminder of why he has been one of hurling’s best forwards over the years. It was a gamble to start him, considering he had so little training done, but it was a call that Liam Sheedy had to make. Cork were unlucky to lose cornerback Shane O'Neill after he collided with Micheál Webster, his loss seemed to unsettle the Rebels. Tipperary picked up the pace after 20 minutes; their half forward line ran all over the place. It was most unusual to see the Cork halfback line follow them, their failure to hold their positions worked right into Tipp's hands. Tipp hit them for six during those minutes; yes six unanswered points seemed to give them a nice cushion as half-time approached. John O'Brien, Lar Corbett, Seamus Callinan, and the young debutant Noel McGrath got in on the act. The man who did a lot of the damage was midfielder Shane McGrath, he kept the Cork midfielders on the back foot with his lung bursting runs. The Premier men did concede two handy points just before half-time, this was to prove detrimental. The Cork men were now just four points behind at the interval and this was after Tipp had the lion’s share of possession.
Cork have to be commended for the effort they gave in the second half, they have put themselves through a lot this spring, even inside their own county they are not everyone's cup of tea at present. The main protagonist during the long-running saga would have been facing the guillotine on Sunday evening if they had gone down without a fight. The half-time chat seemed to work. We don't know whether it came from the players or the new manager Denis Walsh. I suspect a few wise words came from the manager and a few home truths from the senior players. The manager can take credit for the switching of John Gardiner and Tom Kenny. It was a move that had a huge bearing on Cork's second half comeback. Gardiner's pace is suspect when turned, we saw that when Eoin Larkin left him for dead in last year’s semi-final. What he does have is a good hurling brain which he used to good effect in the second half until he ran out of gas. Tom Kenny's pace made the Cork halfback line a far more solid unit and this is how they drove forward. Tipperary sub Benny Dunne was introduced just in time to save the day for the Premier men, his fresh legs in the intensive heat got him into position to score two valuable and winning points to see the Premier men scramble home. Tipperary definitely rode their luck; they have frailties...the biggest one was not killing off the opposition, this will catch up with them some day, maybe not in this Munster campaign. Cork will take the positives out of Sunday's game and move forward via the scenic route. They have restored some pride in the red jersey. It remains to be seen with all the mileage on some players’ clocks if they be able to take game after game.
Wexford v Offaly
I attended Wexford Park on Saturday night and did the co-commentary with Micheál O'Muircheartaigh for the clash of Wexford and Offaly. It was a beautiful evening for a good game which sadly did not materialise. There was plenty of honest endeavour but the standard of hurling was shocking. On the night Wexford had the greater hunger for battle. Their hero was Stephen Banville. Yes, this is the same player I thought had very little skill. The two-goal hero has made me eat humble pie. The big man would not be out of place in the front row of the Lion’s pack. He used his frame well which did not surprise me, however his touch on the night was also sublime. The game was in the melting pot until Wexford upped the ante in the second half. Wexford were on their way but Banville made sure of it with his second goal.
Galway’s first venture into Leinster was a winning one, they hammered Laois by a whopping 27 points. The easy victory will have pleased new manager John McIntyre but in truth this mismatch would have told him nothing, in fact it could leave him vulnerable next time out. The authorities will hope that Kilkenny and Galway will avoid each other, they might not say it but that is what they will be hoping for. The draw takes place next Sunday evening after the Dublin v Antrim clash, and if the Dubs are not in the hat all their good work in the league would be in vain. Hard to see anything other than a Dublin victory. They will have huge support as it is the curtain raiser to the Meath v Dublin football clash.
