Cork manager Pat Ryan is relishing the prospect of seeing his side take part in an all-Munster All-Ireland SHC final against Tipperary that he feels will be nothing short of "special" and hopes to have three-time All-Star forward Seamus Harnedy back from injury.
On a bumper semi-final weekend, Cork demolished Dublin in Saturday's opener while Tipperary edged Kilkenny in a humdinger that ended in a 'was it a score or not?’ controversy.
That all means the old rivals, Cork and Tipp, will battle for the Liam MacCarthy cup on Sunday 20 July – the first time the two counties have met in the decider.
Cork had the full 15 points to spare over Tipp in their Munser SHC round robin clash at Páirc Uí Chaoimh back at the end of April. Theirs is a rivalry almost as ancient as the game itself – but Ryan feels it’s one based on mutual respect.
"It’s a huge rivalry. I’ve been part of some of them games myself, they’re marvellous occasions," Ryan told RTÉ Sport this week.
"Cork people probably love going to Thurles even more than Tipp love coming to Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
"We’ve had great days above there, we’ve had disappointing days as well. Tipp are a really good team, Liam [Cahill] has them going really well. They’ve a really good management team, so I don’t think there was ever going to be a case that they wouldn’t get it right and they’ve everything going right at the moment.
"Tipperary is a really brilliant hurling county – and we’d like to think we’re a brilliant hurling county. It’s always been fair, honest, hard. There’s been great camaraderie there between the teams."
Cork went into Saturday’s date against the surprise packet Dubs with a relatively clean bill of health although 34-year-old Harnedy and defender Cormac O’Brien both lost fitness races ahead of that semi-final. Declan Dalton stepped in for Harnedy against Dublin and ended his day’s work with five points.
Former Limerick hurler Niall Moran, speaking on RTÉ 2FM's Game On show this week, nontheless went as far as sayng that, for Cork, no Harnedy means no All-Ireland title. Moran feels the three-time All-Star should be included from the start.
"He has to find a place for Seamie Harnedy," Moran said. "In my book, Cork don't win any All-Ireland without him. Who will be the unlucky person to miss out?"
Ryan has no new concerns on the injury front, but he’s keen to have as many selection headaches as possible ahead of the final – even if it means missing out on a few winks of sleep as a result.
"Both Seamus and Cormac missed out at the weekend but we’d be very hopeful that they’ll be able to take part in two weeks’ time," Ryan said. "We’ve got no injuries from the [Dublin] match itself. We’ll see over the next week if we can get Cormac and Seamus back.
"Seamus is a brilliant fella who has given unbelievably commitment. He’s a player that Cork need, to be honest with you, but Declan came in at the weekend and did a fantastic job. The most important thing is that Seamus gets back on the field and proves his fitness and it able to play a part.
"It is brilliant for every manager but they are hard calls to make. There’s probably sleepless nights that you’ll get because you have to make those decisions. Trying to tell fellas is the problem then, because you’re trying to do it in a fair and as humane a way as possible."
Sunday’s second semi-final between Kilkenny and Tipp ended in somewhat bizarre fashion when a late Noel McGrath point attempt was correctly waved wide, but registered as a point on the Croke Park scoreboard..
Ryan, for his part, suggested the pace of the modern, high-scoring inter-county game makes it a challenge for all involved – players, officials and score-keepers alike.
"We’re all human and the majority of us are all amateur people doing it in an amateur way so you can’t expect everyone to get everything right. You’re trying to get as many things right as you possibly can," the Cork boss reasoned.
"But it’s ourselves and Tipp in the final and you move on. We’re looking forward to an all-Munster clash, which is brilliant."
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