Cork’s hurlers were on fire yesterday.
On this week’s GAA Hour Hurling Show, Tipperary manager Michael Ryan told Colm Parkinson that he expected the levels of hunger and desire that The Rebels brought to the occasion, despite the fact that Cork hadn’t made it past the Munster Championship first round in the last two years.
The Upperchurch man claimed that Tipperary’s downfall came in the middle third of the field in their Munster Championship first round defeat to the Leesiders on Sunday.
“It was exactly what I expected coming out of Cork…I thought that the energy that they brought, particularly in that middle third, was the swinging factor. They certainly won that battle…I think they imposed their will on the game and credit to them for that,” said Ryan.
There’s no arguing with Ryan’s assessment of this game, in which Cork’s energy and pace gave his side endless problems.
The Rebels half-forward line of Seamus Harnedy, Shane Kingston and Conor Lehane targeted the Tipp half-back line with a direct running approach and this tactic paid dividends for Kieran Kingston’s side.
The Tipperary half-back line of Paudie Maher, Ronan Maher and Seamus Kennedy are renowned for their strength in the air. They weren’t given an opportunity to dominate this area, though, with the Cork forwards roaming around the field and dragging them out of their comfort zones.
The youthful exuberance of Mark Coleman in midfield and the roaming Luke Meade also posed a huge threat for the Leesiders.
There’s no denying that both sides deserve praise for their contribution to a true classic Munster Championship game that had all onlookers at the edge of their seats.
“We much prefer being involved in a really good game of hurling and a game that’s played in the right way and the right spirit, and I think what was served up there today was classic Munster Championship. We were on the wrong side of it but I really thought Cork were good and were the better team on the day,” Said Ryan.
Ryan rued his side’s missed chances, especially in the first half.
“There was tell-tale signs during that game that showed Cork were really good here today. It wasn’t quite sticking for us, we did create a couple of openings and we would’ve loved to have gotten more return from those openings in the first half but that’s the game and it was a really good game here today. I thought it was a real classic game of hurling.”
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This performance should mark the start of Cork’s revival and their return to top level championship hurling after a fall from grace since their 2013 All-Ireland final defeat to Clare.
Judging by this performance, and the potential for progress that exists in Kieran Kingston’s youthful Cork team, this side has what it takes to win their first All-Ireland since 2005.
The defeat mightn’t be the worst thing in the world for the Premier County men, though.
The last time Tipp were beaten in a Munster first round by Cork was in 2010, and that year Liam Sheedy’s side went on to lift the Liam McCarthy Cup in September.
Don’t count them out.
You can listen to Ryan’s interview here from 32’00”.
You can also listen to interviews with Kieran Kingston, Anthony Nash and Conor Lehane from the GAA Hour Hurling Show here.
