Tipperary's emphatic semi-final victory over Waterford last Sunday guarantees us another mouth-watering All-Ireland final. Hurling fans worldwide will be looking forward to September 5 for Kilkenny v Tipp Part II. During the noughties it was Kilkenny and Cork who went head to head on a couple of occasions. The Cats are still going strong but the Rebels have passed the baton onto the Premier county. This is the first back to back final between these two counties. When you talk of sporting rivalries they simply don't come any greater than Kilkenny and Tipp. The colour, excitement and raw emotion of last year’s decider is a testament to this.
The Premier players, management and fans left Croke Park very disappointed last September after having their dreams shattered in the final furlong. Some people say you have to lose one before you win one. I don't really buy into that theory, as a proud Kilkenny man I obviously hope they have to lose two first. Their early season form this year may have been poor. God knows that performance against Cork in late May was a shambles but in hindsight it was to be the kick in the backside that was to get rid of last year’s All-Ireland hangover. The scenic route has been very rewarding for the Premier county. Victories over Wexford, Offaly, Galway and now Waterford have given them another tilt at All-Ireland glory. They are on a roll and are going to be very hard nuts to crack on All-Ireland day. I was critical of Tipp manager Liam Sheedy after that Cork game, his failure to counteract Donal Óg’s short puck outs on that occasion was mind boggling, but last Sunday he definitely outwitted his counterpart Davy Fitz. The sighting of young Noel McGrath at centre forward was the key switch. The 19 year old really turned on the style. McGrath was substituted in Tipp's victory over Galway when he found my old sparring partner, Ollie Canning, too hot to handle but switching out to his natural position really paid dividends. It must be remembered that he has played all his underage hurling well away from the full forward line. I don't know whether it's the green helmet or the guile he plays with but he reminds me of a young Henry Shefflin.
Many people have been quick to slate Davy for his tactics last Sunday but it must be remembered that those same tactics won his county a Munster title less than a month ago. Those tactics have been spot on to this point but when the game plan wasn't working last Sunday it should have been altered. Donal Óg Cusack had been king of the short puck out for many seasons now but last Sunday Brendan Cummins used it to good effect. Time and time again Tipperary broke Waterford's halfback line with this manoeuvre, surely the Waterford players should have been told to go man to man which would have made Cummins puck it long on Tipp's perceived weak half forward line.
Davy's tactics are one thing, but I'd be more critical of the personnel he started, asking a 19-year-old rookie to man the edge of the square against a seasoned stalwart like Paul Curran was plain crazy. Young O'Hallrahan got some introduction to championship hurling, hopefully the youngster’s confidence won't be dented and he can bounce back. When you have a class act like John Mullane, who thrives on a broken ball, a big guy as a play maker is essential on the edge of the square. As good as Mullane is he couldn't break down this Tipp defence on his own, five of the starting forwards were withdrawn before the game ended — that tells its own story. Tipperary backs were excellent but they'll know a much bigger test lies in store on All-Ireland final day.
One of the key battles on All-Ireland day will be the Tipp halfback line vs Kilkenny's half forward line. Balls won or lost by these six men could ultimately decide Liam McCarthy's destination. Tipperary’s midfield won their battle, Maher was solid while McGrath (Shane ) was back to his best after a quick stint in the forwards. Their forwards really caught the eye, when they play that fast low diagonal ball they are lethal. This suits the Tipp players as every one of them is a super stick man. Corbett, Kelly, O'Brien and McGrath (Noel ) were all to the fore in the scoring department. Corbett's goal got the ball rolling, while Kelly's first goal in the 52nd minute finished off the job.
Some of the older Waterford stalwarts came on and made a good impression and my guess is if Davy had another go he would have started them earlier. Lads like Shanahan, Ken McGrath, Seamus Prendergast, Tony Browne and one or two more may now decide to call it a day. That famous team of the noughties certainly don't owe their county anything; they have been super ambassadors for the game. It's not surprising that some of the best games over that period have involved the Deise men. What made them good was their flamboyancy and their unpredictability. 'Let me Entertain You' by Robbie Williams must surely have been the dressing room anthem. In any other era they would have landed the ultimate prize but they were unfortunately to run into brilliant teams like Kilkenny and Cork. Davy's future, too, could be in doubt, his term is officially up. The County Board has a big decision to make; do they go with Fitz, who has already started the transition period, or bring in a fresh man? I have a feeling he'll get one more year.
The build-up to the 2010 final will now start in earnest, the flags and bunting will slowly go up and the hunt for tickets will be greater than ever for Kilkenny's historic bid. Injuries have once again dominated the local chat this week. Fresh on the heels of Henry's bad news came another injury scare, this time to our wingback wizard Tommy Walsh. Thankfully as the week wore on the signs were more positive, hopefully he will respond quickly to treatment.
Last weekend was a busy one for both county and club teams. The Intermediate's had a comprehensive victory over Galway at Tullamore. This result sets up a repeat of last year's final against Cork. This gives the Kilkenny boys a chance of revenge for last year’s defeat. Eoin Guinan was in scintillating form, notching up no fewer than 11 points. This year's Intermediate captain has now given Brian Cody another option upfront.
The Kilkenny ladies, on the other hand, had to play second fiddle to a very strong Wexford outfit in their semi-final in Nowlan Park last Saturday. Kilkenny battled right to the end but were outmuscled by a very physical Wexford team. The Cats stayed with the Wexford girls until midway during the second half before the floodgates opened. Who knows, if the Cats had to take some of their scoring chances just after the break it could have been a different story — still nobody could have denied that the best team won on the day
