Tipperary travel in hope and Cork in expectation.
Or so we are led to believe. This year's All-Ireland SHC decider has been billed as one team fulfilling their destiny and another ahead of schedule. But there’s plenty of scope for a twist in this novel tale.
Hurling's second and third-most successful counties have had many memorable battles down the years - think Christy Ring and John Doyle trading blows in front of 70,000+ at the Gaelic Grounds, Nicky English kicking goals and Mark Foley running riot, but the neighbours' 90th championship meeting (including replays but not unfulfilled fixtures) will be the first in the final and just the second at Croke Park.
All the evidence points to Cork ending their record wait for Liam MacCarthy at 20 years.
Favourites since being pipped by a point in last year’s first extra-time final against Clare, they thumped Tipp by 10 in the league final and 15 later in April in Munster, though their opponents did have Darragh McCarthy sent off even before the start in championship.
Cork then reversed a hammering at the hands of Limerick to end their six-year reign over the province, albeit on penalties, and hit seven goals past the slayers of the green giants, Dublin, in the semi-final.
They have done all this roared on by fans desperate to see Patrick Horgan and Seamus Harnedy finally get their hands on an All-Ireland medal, ensuring unprecedented full houses at headquarters for their last two semi-finals, and making up about 75% of the crowd against Dublin earlier this month. The 82,300 in attendance today will be much more evenly split, but so far their heroes have shouldered the burden of hope.
What kind of game can we expect? Cork will go for goals, and go for them early, as manager Pat Ryan openly admits is the plan.
In the league decider, they scored three in the first half, through Alan Connolly, Darragh Fitzgibbon and Ethan Twomey, the latter left out of the 26 today. Three weeks later it was the same, Tim O’Mahony - one of Cork’s less heralded heroes this year - Horgan and Connolly rattling the net against the 14 men. Declan Dalton added a fourth as Tipp were restricted to points again.
They have developed more of a goal threat since (as Kilkenny found out to their cost), scoring 2.14 per game to Cork’s 2.83, but the key to an upset today surely lies in Tipperary at least slowing, if not fully stopping, the Rebel goal rush.
The 6’4" full-forward Brian Hayes (5-08) has been central to many of Cork's green flags. He will probably be marked by Ronan Maher, Tipperary’s captain and best defensive fielder, who did a good job on TJ Reid in their semi-final.
But then Hayes is more mobile and doesn’t need clean possession to cause havoc – a lot of Cork’s goals have come from him breaking ball for Horgan (2-11 from play), Connolly (4-09 and a hat-trick hero against Dublin) or Shane Barrett, who then lay it off to one of the other forwards in space, or over the shoulder to a runner like O’Mahony.
Tipp might be willing to concede short puckouts so they can sit their half-back and half-forward lines deeper and deny their opponents’ three-man inside line the space they are experts at exploiting. At least in the first half. A similar approach meant Limerick conceded only two goals to Cork in over 160 minutes in Munster. Will Cork be happy to let Dalton and Darragh Fitzgibbon try to outshoot Willie Connors/Conor Stakelum and Jake Morris?
Easier said than done, of course. Corner-backs Michael Breen and Robert Doyle are both superb athletes but also converted forwards. Doyle has thrived in his new role but Connolly has caused him more problems than any other opponent this year. Breen is good on the ball but has been turned a few times, something Kilkenny didn’t target enough. The Dublin game suggested that is something 37-year-old Horgan still has in his locker.
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A fifth goal for Cork, it's come from the stick of Tim O'Mahony.
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Rain would probably suit Tipp more. While the majority of Cork’s goals in their semi-final were the result of slick interplay – and too much space – Tipperary’s were all skill and opportunism on a slippy day. Two-time All-Ireland winners John McGrath (30) and Jason Forde (31) might not have the fastest legs but their wrists could put you to sleep before you hear the light-switch click. McGrath has scored more from play (5-14) than any of the Cork forwards.
Forde was also flawless on the frees after McCarthy had received his second yellow card against Kilkenny. If McCarthy starts, as indicated, he will probably take the dead balls, as he has all year, an immense show of faith in the 19-year-old by manager Liam Cahill.
Both McCarthy and Horgan are in 8/10 form on that front. But Cahill had already switched the frees to Forde even before McCarthy’s second dismissal of the summer against Kilkenny, and he doesn’t have the same aversion to dummy teams as his counterpart.
Could we see semi-final matchwinner Oisín O’Donoghue or Alan Tynan start instead? Paddy McCormack, younger brother of Dan, could make his senior debut off the bench. Unless Cahill is tempted to go full Shane O’Donnell on it altogether. Either way, the inspirational Noel McGrath is likely to be introduced into his eighth All-Ireland final around the 50-minute mark, barring a particularly poor start.
Ryan’s main dilemma is whether to keep Harnedy (35), who sat out the semi-final with a hamstring injury, in reserve and hope his aerial ability and point contribution isn’t missed too much early on. Though Dalton, also handy for a long-range free, is a capable replacement. Harnedy could also potentially come in for first-year starter Diarmuid Healy, whose pace might be even more damaging off the bench.
One of the reasons Tipperary wanted Cahill to succeed Colm Bonnar was the chance to pair him with the players he managed to back-to-back U21/20 titles in 2018-19. But the Ballinagarry man chose to fast-track even younger men after a miserable second season – one point in Munster last year – and the gamble has paid off spectacularly.
McCormack scored 2-01 in the Under-20 All-Ireland final victory over Kilkenny last month and is one of four of that team in the 26 today, alongside McCarthy, O'Donoghue and starting wing-forward Sam O’Farrell, the U-20 captain. Doyle and midfield replacement Peter McGarry also made their debuts this year.
There will still be plenty of the class of 2018-19 involved today: Morris, now the key man in a dynamic half-forward line alongside late bloomer Andrew Ormond, set for a battle with Rob Downey, midfielder Conor Stakelum, defenders Bryan O’Mara, Craig Morgan (the 2019 captain) and long-range threat Eoghan Connolly.
But Conor Bowe and Gearóid O’Connor have gone from starters last year to not even being in the 26. Cahill has been ruthless when required.
Tipperary beat Cork in both of those underage finals, and as big underdogs in 2018, something they will hope is an omen today. Today’s Cork starters Niall O'Leary, Mark Coleman, Fitzgibbon, O'Mahony and Dalton and all played in '18 when Stakelum’s late goal sunk them, as did subs Shane Kingston and Robbie O'Flynn. Ger Millerick, Tommy O'Connell and Brian Roche were involved in 2019.
Ryan then succeeded Denis Ring as U20 manager and won two All-Ireland titles in five weeks (the 2020 final was played in July ’21) with the likes of Eoin Downey, Cormac O’Brien, Ciarán Joyce, Brian Roche, Barrett, Connolly and Hayes.
One of the managers will join the elite double club today but their shared history goes back as far as 1997 when they lined out against each other in the Munster U21 decider, as did Cork selectors Wayne Sherlock and Brendan Coleman, along with Tipp coach Mikey Beavans. They were both also All-Ireland senior winners as panellists, Ryan in 1999 and Cahill two years later.
Tipperary have not beaten Cork in championship since 2020, the year Cahill led Waterford to another unexpected All-Ireland final appearance. This feels like more of a free shot, but that doesn’t mean they can’t score it. If Tipp can survive the early onslaught, they proved against Kilkenny that they have the grit to survive a dogfight. And they are the team with the All-Ireland medals, even if it's their first final since 2019.
Cork might feel the heat if it's tight or they are behind down the closing stretch but they have proven more than once that they can stand it. Against Limerick last year, when they needed a late goal to stay alive in Munster. In the All-Ireland final, when they fought all the way against Clare and should have had a free to earn a replay. In this year’s Munster final, when they won a 65 at the end of extra-time to force penalties.
As Ryan said after the semi-final, being fancied to win means you're playing well. But he also pointed it out that that didn't count for much this time last year.
The weight of expectation aside, Cork are deserving favourites, and if the drought doesn’t end today then Tipperary will be deserving champions.
Cork: Patrick Collins; Niall O'Leary, Eoin Downey, Sean O'Donoghue; Ciarán Joyce, Rob Downey (capt), Mark Coleman; Tim O'Mahony, Darragh Fitzgibbon; Diarmuid Healy, Shane Barrett, Declan Dalton; Patrick Horgan, Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes.
Subs: Brion Saunderson, Damien Cahalane, Ger Millerick, Cormac O’Brien, Tommy O’Connell, Luke Meade, Brian Roche, Séamus Harnedy, Robbie O’Flynn, Conor Lehane, Shane Kingston.
Tipperary: Rhys Shelly; Robert Doyle, Eoghan Connolly, Michael Breen; Craig Morgan, Ronan Maher (capt), Bryan O'Mara; Willie Connors, Conor Stakelum; Jake Morris, Andrew Ormond, Sam O’Farrell; Darragh McCarthy, John McGrath, Jason Forde.
Subs: Barry Hogan, Joe Caesar, Seamus Kennedy, Paddy McCormack, Brian McGrath, Noel McGrath, Peter McGarry, Oisin O'Donoghue, Johnny Ryan, Darragh Stakelum, Alan Tynan.
Referee: Liam Gordon (Galway).
Watch the All-Ireland Hurling Championship final, Cork v Tipperary, on Sunday from 2.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.
Listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
