Its a much diluted rivalry. Partky cos Munster is a waste of time, partly cos Cork are shit.
Tipp are the best team around. Cork are ranked about 7-10. Tipp have a good keeper and full back line, they have an outstanding half back line, a powerful midfield and a class set of forwards full of ball winners, goal scorers, pace and size.
Cork have an improved but erratic keeper (and a cery easy to read puck out strategy), an unbelievable open/exposed full back line that lacks leadership, a promising but untested half back line, a small if tidy midfield but cannot compete with Tipp and a forward line of fuck knows?!?
There is potential in the forwards but alot of things have to go right. Meade, Cahalane and Kingston are very good but young and won’t all start. Bar Harnedy the rest are all flaky as fuck and incredibly inconsistent.
If Tipp give any fuck at all the clisest it will be is around 7.
Although I would have a view that if any team ever feared anyone it’s this Cork bunch. Look like Tipp might be without Callanan and Bonner Maher which would help
If Tipp wander into this looking to play open loose hurling then Cork will thrive & prosper at making a game of it.
If Tipp arrive with a bee in their bonnet looking to close down the space and make it physical then Cork will struggle to get within 5 points of them IMO.
How prepped Ryan has Tipp is the key, if as stated above Tipp are eyeing the bigger prizes in August / September then who knows what Cork can achieve.
They definently have a set of forwards to trouble Tipp but whether their backline can keep Tipp out is very questionable.
You dont have to look very far to find holes in the Tipp team.
A hole at corner back position. Mikey Cahill is done.
No obvious wing back to fill in beside the 2 Mahers. Seamus Kennedy has regressed this season and has been found wanting in a few games. Hamill is too slow.
Lacking a midfielder to partner Brendan Maher. Jason Forde is useless. Brendan Maher is prone to injury.
Forwards as a collective unit are too hot and cold. It lacks leaders. If Bonnar isn’t playing there is no one to win dirty ball or change flow of the game. Or at the very least stop an aerial bombardment of ball down on top of our back line. The work rate and agression is non existant.
Tipp are at least a 5 points worse team than the 2016 version.
He got roasted against Pat Horgan and obliterated against Galway.
Pat Horgan has been struggling for form for years and has been indulged in the Cork team for his free taking but even for the winning point he made an absolute mug out of Cahill.
For Galways second goal he got roasted again. Its one thing getting beaten by your opposite opponent but when you cant lay a glove on them its a different matter entirely.
Its a view I’ve had for quite a while. There are no new faces who look like they are capable of stepping up and nailing a starting spot. I’d have had James Woodlock (now retired) who cant hurl but can put in a shift ahead of Forde who can hurl but cant put in a shift. He cannot win the ball aerially, on the ground or turn over opponents.
The only player that you could make the arguement who might be putting their hand up to start is Donagh Maher who is nearly 30 and that would be borne out of an alarming drop off in form for Mikey Cahill. Steven o Brien is clearly not up to it either.
They don’t though and its a very curious mindset entrenched in GAA more than anywhere else.
They ahould fear Tipp but they won’t.
The oplosite often happened in football. I could never understand my dad saying “to beat kerry we need to be at least 5 points a better team”.
He was right.
Two poor games in the league, one in which the whole team was obliterated. You don’t write a player off after that. I’ve come to the conclusion that you’re talking shite and to pay no attention to you.
Cool the beans there lad. It wasn’t Richie McCarthy I was writing off.
My opinion is based on more than 2 league games. His form has been non existant for last 18 months. I would say he hasn’t got the better of his direct opponent in any game in that time.
Great points by @johnnysachs. Tipp are clearly finished. They will stumble past Cork because Cork are so bad and possibly beat Waterford before inevitably being mugged by a rabid Limerick side in the Munster final on a sweltering hot day.
