Lucky they’re young and supple.
It was far from celebrating their Munster senior hurling championship triumph Mark Coleman, Darragh Fitzgibbon and their fellow youngsters were on Sunday and into Monday. Sure they’d another Munster final to prepare for on the Wednesday.
And in this weather, dedicated preparation is absolutely compulsory.
Beating the Banner to lift their second Munster Cup in as many years will have felt sweeter than sugar there and then, but the boys couldn’t dwell on it for too long.
That’s because Tipperary’s under-21s are gunning to restore some pride to their county and they’ll be heading to Páirc Uà Chaoimh with the aim of rocking the Rebels in their own back yard on Wednesday night.
When you consider the scorching temperatures sweeping the country over the last few weeks combined with the fact that we haven’t felt a drop of rainfall in ages, dehydration and tiredness is a big issue for the lads, and it was hardly surprising when the news broke via the Irish Examiner that they had requested a fixture switch.
The Premier County set their stall out and they rebuked this request.
Tipperary and Cork have a bit of history in these instances let’s not forget. After some far from canny fixture planning by the Munster council earlier in the year, the Premier County’s senior footballers were put in the awkward position of having to face into a Munster semi against Cork just six days after their quarter against Waterford.
The Leesiders refused the switch then. What goes comes around.
Tipperary senior football selector Shane Stapleton wasn’t about to forget that one.
Karma is a bitch of a thing! https://t.co/H4imuDiNYW
— shane stapleton 📣 (@goldenstapo) July 3, 2018
So Cork’s four players (Fitzgibbon, Coleman, O’Flynn and Kingston) involved in Sunday’s battle have just had to suck it up in the meantime.
The condition of their senior teammate Damien Cahalane as he left Semple Stadium on Sunday afternoon shows just how gruelling Sunday’s sunny slog was.
“Damien Cahalane stumbled in past me while I was waiting to interview Harnedy, and he was gone. He was absolutely ready to feint, he was being held up, he was pale as a ghost. He suffered heat-stroke,” said Colm Parkinson.
Those are the dangers for players in conditions like these and water-breaks should surely be considered for the players’ welfare for tonight’s showpiece.
So for the last over few days, it’s all been about refuelling and recharging the batteries.
Indeed, the Páirc Uà Chaoimh showdown promises to be a belter of a game and it will be live on TG4 at 7.30 on Wednesday evening.
Cork go in as marginal favourites, hardly surprising given their starting XV contains seven senior panelists.
CorkÂ
1. Ger Collins (Ballinhassig)
2. David Lowney (Clonakilty)
3. David Griffin (Carrigaline)
4. Niall O’Leary (Castlelyons)
5. Eoghan Murphy (Sarsfields)
6. Mark Coleman (Blarney)
7. Billy Hennessy (St Finbarr’s)
8. Chris O’Leary (Valley Rovers)
9. Darragh Fitzgibbon (Charleville)
10. Robbie O’Flynn (Erin’s Own)
11. Declan Dalton (Fr O’Neills)
12. Shane Kingston (Douglas, captain)
13. Liam Healy (Sarsfields)
14. Tim O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum)
15. Jack O’Connor (Sarsfields)
Tipperary
Tipperary are dangerous though, and forwards Jake Morris and Mark Kehoe looked class in their destroyal of Limerick, as did midfielder Ger Browne.
In advance of this week's Bord Gáis Energy Munster U21 Hurling Championship Final, Tipperary manager Liam Cahill has announced an unchanged side to face Cork in Páirc Uà Chaoimh. The match throws in this Wednesday, July 4th at 7:30pm. The Tipperary team lines out as follows; pic.twitter.com/xeNPeWsUop
— Tipperary GAA (@TipperaryGAA) July 2, 2018
There will be some bite about that one.
The other under-21 clash of the night is the Leinster final between Galway and Wexford. That will be live on TG4.ie. TeilifÃs na Gaeilge never let us down.
