Oh I’m around alright Bandage. I just have a job that keeps me busy…
WESTSIDES Column from The Nationalist
A disappointing hurling championship thus far awaits a final that many hope will serve to redeem the season. From the moment the final whistle closed out the league final on May 3 last, hurling pundits were already anticipating a possible All Ireland re-match. And so it has come to pass. In many ways it’s the ideal pairing, the dream ticket: Kilkenny, record breakers and history makers, against the upcoming wannabes of Tipperary. It’s a final laced with tradition and high-voltage rivalry, one where Kilkenny this time shoulder heavy favouritism.
It’s here. All the hype, even hyperbole at times, zooms in on this one day. It’s special and, despite our tradition, it’s all too rare an experience for Tipperary in the past forty years or so. For Kilkenny in recent times it has become an annual pilgrimage but visits by Tipperary have been far more sporadic. It’s now eight years since our last final outing and I was recalling recently that I have been present at only six All Ireland finals involving Tipperary. It’s not a lot so you need to really relish these events when they happen.
Our championship record against Kilkenny reads well though there is an obvious qualification that needs to be added to the statistics. The counties have met nineteen times at either semi-final or final stage with Tipperary holding a twelve-seven advantage. In terms of finals alone we’ve met on fourteen previous occasions with Tipperary holding a nine-five advantage. Amazingly there has never been a draw.
But of course all of that needs to be qualified by a simple recognition that Tipperary have been absent for long periods from championship reckoning, especially in the past forty years during which time Kilkenny have been far more frequently involved. And perhaps a more meaningful statistic for Sunday is that we lost our last two championship clashes with the present generation of ‘cats’, namely the semi-finals of ’02 and ’03.
Our last final meeting was in 1991. That year is probably best recalled for the draw and replay with Cork, the All Ireland final being a lot less memorable. We were fancied and in the end struggled through, aided by a fortunate score when Michael Cleary mis-hit a free and it ended in the net for the game’s only goal. We won by four. It was a hugely important victory for that team’s reputation because in the eyes of sceptics ’89 was devalued by playing Antrim in the final.
1971 was the previous final meeting between the counties. It’s special for me because it was the first one I attended – the finals of the sixties are less vivid in my memory from those grainy black and white television pictures. I remember ’71 much better from my position at the canal end behind Peter O’Sullivan’s goal in the second half. It was a high-scoring final, 5-17 to 5-14, with Eddie Keher hitting 2-11 for the losing Kilkenny team.
That final had a particularly nostalgic appeal because it was followed by the so-called famine. In a sense ’71 was a last fling from the sixties, the end of an era rather than a new dawning. The great Ollie Walsh didn’t have one of his better days in goal for Kilkenny. Many people remember Dinny Ryan’s second half goal for Tipperary. When he turned away to celebrate he suddenly went down injured. Micheal O’Muircheartaigh often jokes that ‘little Dinny’ that day invented the hamstring. For previous generations words like hamstring and groin and medial ligaments were unheard of.
Anyway so much for the trip down memory lane. It does provide a type of historical backdrop to Sunday, though however we wish to flatter ourselves by recalling past victories the reality for the present generation is far different. Kilkenny have reigned supreme this decade unchallenged as the superpower of hurling. That rating won’t vanish on Sunday irrespective of the outcome though I’m sure they’d dearly love to underpin it all with a victory over the old enemy - not to mention the completion of a sweet-sounding four-in-a-row. And most people will expect them to do it.
The present Tipperary team has been upwardly mobile since Liam Sheedy took charge two years ago and lifted us off the floor of depression that was the legacy from the previous two years. He has been aided of course by the arrival of a generation of upcoming talent which has complimented the survivors from ’01. The resultant mix of players has brought us to the All Ireland stage where hope rather than confidence is the prevailing mood.
Probably for the first time this year we approach a match with very little speculation about the line out. It’s assumed that the same fifteen that started against Limerick in the semi-final will parade behind the Artane Boys Band. You could view that two ways: as a positive sign that the best fifteen has been assembled or as an unhelpful consequence of such a one-sided semi.
If there is any minor speculation about the line out it will focus on midfield where both Shane McGrath and James Woodlock were replaced in the semi. For Woodlock being substituted is now an occupational reality. He rarely finishes a match but in a sense that’s the nature of his game, giving a high-energy performance for maybe three quarters and then being replaced once the tank is empty. And Benny Dunne, that great enigma of this team, seems to have finally discovered his calling as an impact substitute.
Slightly more worrying perhaps was the substitution of Shane McGrath against Limerick. ’08 was the year Shane really delivered an Allstar input but this season his form as been more variable. Health issues early in the year held him back and while he seemed to have fully rebounded in the Munster final it was slightly worrying to see his form dip again against Limerick. Hopefully it all comes together for him on Sunday because we certainly need a bouncy display in that area against Kilkenny.
Ironically there is more speculation about the Kilkenny line out than Tipperary’s, but it has more to do with their depth of talent rather than any obvious weaknesses. Noel Hickey’s return to fitness raises a defensive issue. I’ve no doubt that Cody would like to see him on the full back line where he gives added security, especially in a season where they’ve leaked more scores than is their norm. Yet if he’s not fully recovered it could be risky for a player who’s missed the entire summer. With most other players I don’t think it would be an issue but because Hickey has been in a similar situation in the past and made a spectacular comeback the manager might be tempted. Presumably Cody will be ruled by what he sees on the training ground.
If Hickey were to return it would probably mean a move of J.J. Delaney to wing with John Tennyson losing out. Actually they have several options in that defence where, even in the absence of Hickey, Brian Hogan could go full with Tennyson at centre and J.J. on the wing.
There’s an issue at midfield too where three or four players vie for the two positions. ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick and Michel Rice played the semi-final but you also have Derek Lyng and, to a lesser extent, Michael Fennelly in the mix. I suspect it will again be ‘Cha’ and Michael Rice to start.
In attack probably the main issue concerns placings rather personnel. Shefflin did major damage at full forward in the semi and many people seem to think he’ll start there again on Sunday. The counter argument is that Shefflin was second best to Padraig Maher in the league final and Cody may opt to place him at wing this time, probably on Brendan Maher. The team announcement this week won’t give us the answer either; only when they line up will we know Cody’s thinking.
Unquestionably Kilkenny have a much stronger bench than Tipperary and the modern game tends to be a nineteen or twenty man effort over seventy minutes plus. If any of their forwards misfire on Sunday you have players like Ritchie Hogan and T.J. Reid waiting on the wings. Tipperary’s options in that regard are far more limited.
Curbing that Kilkenny attack will be a major issue for Tipperary. The problem is that you can quell one or two but then someone else steps into the breach. On different days Shefflin, Brennan, Larkin, Comerford, Fogarty or Power can deliver a man of the match display. In the semi-final it was Shefflin, in the Leinster final it was Comerford, it was Larkin against Galway – you just never know.
Work rate surely must be a key aspect of the Tipperary defensive game. Kilkenny tend to move in waves with plenty of runners offering support. To counteract that you need defenders who are working just as hard. Other teams, such as Dublin, played an extra defender in a bid to limit the Kilkenny attack but then that restricts your effectiveness elsewhere. It’s a balancing act.
A major worry for Tipperary will be the half forward line and in particular those periods of lull when we seem to switch off. It didn’t happen against Limerick but then again it’s surely wise to discount that game as an irrelevance given the limpness of the opposition. Part of the problem is that Seamus Callanan is not an orthodox centre forward who’ll stand under a dropping ball and either catch it or break it through to the inside line. He’s a runner who feeds on breaking play but that presumes you have someone there to do the breaking. Big displays from John O’Brien and Pat Kerwick will be very important.
I’m sure Liam Sheedy will have preached the importance of a sustained game-long effort from everyone if we are to have a chance against this Kilkenny team. That means the forwards play like defenders when not in possession. Kilkenny don’t like playing against a team that’s aggressively in their face hassling and harrying at every twist. Tipperary need to go at them as they did in the league final because there’s one certainty if you stand back and admire this Kilkenny side they’ll mangle you.
You could view the league final and its possible influence on Sunday in different ways. On one side it should give Tipperary confidence, a belief that they know how to ruffle Kilkenny. Against that Kilkenny will have been forewarned; they know what to expect this time.
Referee Diarmuid Kirwan could have a crucial influence. Kilkenny tend to foul a lot, a by-product surely of Cody’s training regime at Nowlan Park where he spares the whistle. You’ll have noticed too, in recent weeks especially, that they don’t like this charge that they play close to the bone. There have been plenty of voices rushing to Tommy Walsh’s defence for example. In the criticisms they sense a hint that they’re a ‘dirty’ team and they bristle at the suggestion.
Under Cody this team has developed an ability to play right on the edge of legality and inevitably when you do that there will be occasions when you step over that edge. One such occasion was the league final last May and amazingly Sunday Independent writer, Dermot Crowe, was one of the few journalists to accurately call it as it was. He didn’t exonerate Tipperary either but the bulk of his charges were against Kilkenny, Eddie Brennan being a particular target.
There is a ruthless streak in this Kilkenny side and I suppose one of the secrets of their success is their ability to combine this hard edge with an exceptional skill level. Tommy Walsh typifies it which is probably why he’s become a focus in the ongoing argument about their tactics. He’s an incredibly gifted player but has a waspish side to his game too which has drawn criticism.
And they tend to target individual players who might be perceived as vulnerable. Limerick are still angry about the treatment of Seamus Hickey in ’07 and you can look back at the league final last May and see how Padraig Maher became a target too. Don’t be surprised if that happens again on Sunday especially against a Tipperary team with players as young as eighteen-year old Noel McGrath.
The bookies have Kilkenny sitting pretty as firm favourites to complete the four-in-a-row and they tend to get it right most of the time. I suppose being frank we need a lot to go right for Tipperary and a few things to go wrong for Kilkenny in order to upset the odds. I can certainly see Tipperary having a real stab at this but whether we can sustain it to outright victory is doubtful. Anyway let’s give it a lash and good luck to all involved.
Jaysus the link went into PV all guns blazing
http://premierview.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Tipp_&action=display&thread=16015&page=1#281732
At the moment thelinkwalsh is stuck in a shit 302 Cusack ticket beside his brother,if your beside us yer going to know about it cos if you have any Tipp colours on ya we’re going to be abusing the shit out of ya for at least two hours,ill be the one asking if you were in Thurles the night PJ Delaney got attacked by a pack of savages while my brother watches for sudden eye movements,twitches or any sign of general discomfort at the line of questioning,anybody we single out as being a suspect in the attack is gettin a clatter,cmon the cats be fucked.
[quote=“Mullach Ide”]Jaysus the link went into PV all guns blazing
http://premierview.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Tipp_&action=display&thread=16015&page=1#281732[/quote]
fuck sake link…i told the chaps you were an alright sort.
good man link, ill be keeping an eye out for any faction fighting in 302, although history tells us that the tipp crowd are more likely to fight among themselves.
hanging up the stars 'n bars flags around East Cork is a busy gig
I heard a rumour you’re not going on Sunday
You’re saving your day out for Sunday fortnight
Im inclined to lean towards the negative whilst fully expecting us to win at the same time,word here in Kilkenny today is that Hickey starts a full back,id be surprised if it materialised but my source is usually sound,ill be in full flow of abusing Tipp lads at around 3.50pm on Sunday,hopefully none of it will descend into violence but if it does…it does.Cmon the Cats ta fuck:thumbsup:
TLW is on fire here. I’m a bit relieved I’ll be over in The Hogan Stand myself.
Thats the shot Link, sew it into them. I’ll be patrolling the top of the Hogan for tinfoillers.
I’d be very surprised if Hickey started, I’d be surprised if Lyng started instead of Cha too.
Lyng for Cha I’ve heard.
KK Kats had it right.
Yep,
PJ Ryan
Michael Kavanagh, JJ Delaney, Jackie Tyrell
Tommy Walsh, Brian Hogan, John Tennyson,
Michael Rice, Derek Lyng,
Richie Hogan, Henry Shefflin, Eoin Larkin
Eddie Brennan, Richie Power, Aidan Fogarty
You fucker, I only just noticed this now.
I had the poll made and I realised the same thing and tried to find a way to change it. I think once a poll is made it can only be modified by the admins.
I knew some smart fucker would spot it. Fair play. :rolleyes:
Lyng, an Emeralds man from the border, will do good for us. He’ll have been raised on Tipp lads coming into the pubs after they win big matches, rubbing it into the KK lads. He’ll be up for it. Delighted for Richie Hogan. Hurled with his father I did… he’ll be hurling with good ash in his hand too!
Not as worried as I was after seeing this team.
[quote=“Locke”]Lyng, an Emeralds man from the border, will do good for us. He’ll have been raised on Tipp lads coming into the pubs after they win big matches, rubbing it into the KK lads. He’ll be up for it. Delighted for Richie Hogan. Hurled with his father I did… he’ll be hurling with good ash in his hand too!
Not as worried as I was after seeing this team.[/quote]
Locke and all other Kilkenny members,
Good luck with the match and do it for the other 31 counties. 
[quote=“The Dunph”]Locke and all other Kilkenny members,
Good luck with the match and do it for the other 31 counties. [/quote]
you mean 30 counties
promised a Premium Level seat all week and ended up with an Upper Hogan. Disgusted.
Fuck Tipp.
[quote=“The Dunph”]Locke and all other Kilkenny members,
Good luck with the match and do it for the other 31 counties. [/quote]
Good man Dunph, you’re an alright sort. We’ll do our best. If we can’t get up for an AI against Tipp and by beating them fuckers we win the 4 in a row we’ll never do it.
GWAN D’LOCKES, GWAN DE BLACKNAMBER, GIVE EM TIMBER BOUY DON’T SPARE IT!!!
you mean 30 counties[/quote]
Kilkenny included = 31.
I thought yourself and CM would be out chasing tail tonight?
[quote=“The Dunph”]Kilkenny included = 31.
I thought yourself and CM would be out chasing tail tonight?[/quote]
Can’t afford it Dunph, have to put a bit aside for next weekend