All Ireland Senior Hurling Final
Croke Park, Dublin. 3.30 pm Sunday September 4th. (Ref Brian Gavin, Offaly)
And so here we are. The 1st Sunday in September means the All Ireland Hurling Final, and for the third year in a row the two protagonists are those nearest and dearest rivals, Kilkenny and Tipperary. Kilkenny were the cream of the crop in the last decade, sweeping all before them as they powered to 7 titles in a remarkable 10 year span. However the last of those titles, in 2009, saw them scrape home against a feisty and confident Tipperary crop and many pundits foresaw a potential changing of the guard.
This passing of the baton did indeed happen in the summer and autumn of 2010, as Tipperary ended a 9 year drought with a convincing win over the All Ireland Champions in the final fuelled by Lar Corbett’s magnificent hat trick. The fact that Tipperary denied Kilkenny’s famous bid for 5 in a row was added cause for celebration in the locales of Thurles, Horse and Jockey, Mullinahone and the likes.
When the dust settled on the celebrations, and on the wound licking that was taking place over the black and amber border, a question arose in the minds of observers and fans alike. Was this truly the start of a new era, and a new dominant force, or was it simply a case of Kilkenny being denied once and coming back with a vengeance, as has been their wont before?
We are probably within a couple of days, at the time of writing, of finding out the answer.
This year has been a bit ho-hum, truth be told, and while Dublin’s progression has given a sense of the new and unfamiliar to the championship, it was overshadowed from a long way out by the likelihood of this final being the one before us when we reached September.
The respective routes to the final have been pretty similar as well.
Kilkenny started off with what should have been a tricky tie, in the Leinster Semi Final, against Wexford down in Wexford Park, but this turned into a stroll in the evening sun as the Cats ended up 11 point victors without really breaking a sweat.
The Leinster Final saw an eagerly awaited clash with a jubilant and confident Dublin side, and this was the first time the Cats really bared their claws in the summer, comfortably beating the Dublin men by 4-17 to 1-15. A statement of intent that will have been noted by Slievenamon you can be sure.
As Leinster victors, Kilkenny awaited their opponents in the All Ireland Semi Finals, and those opponents turned out to be Tipperary’s Munster victims, Waterford. Waterford were suitably chastened by that experience, and while they were rehabilitated against Galway, they never really looked like upsetting Kilkenny, and were almost content, you felt, to lose by just 6 points.
Over the road, Tipperary started off with 2 ties, against Cork and Clare, which bore a passing resemblance to Kilkenny and Wexford. They were never really stretched, never really at full pelt and always in control.
If Kilkenny made a statement in the Leinster Final, Tipperary answered with aplomb in the Munster decider. Rattling 7 goals past a kamikaze style defensive set up is one thing, but looking so hungry doing it is quite another and dispelled any thoughts that Tipp would be resting easy this year.
And so the semi-final. As Kilkenny flattered to deceive against a Waterford side Tipp had destroyed, so too did Tipperary struggle mightily to overcome a depleted Dublin side which Kilkenny had spanked in the Leinster Final.
At the end of the day, amidst all the toing and froing, it was hard to escape the conclusion that both sides were exactly where they wanted to be. A lethal showing early in the summer to show their potential, a lack lustre semi-final performance against a team their rivals trounced, and the sight of each other staring across the Liam McCarthy Cup. What better way to be preparing for the All Ireland Final?
So, what will happen? If I knew that, I’d be a rich man, and if it was easy to know there’d be a lot of rich men and women. In trying to make an intelligent pre-appraisal of what might happen in a final, you try to look at what you know, and try to minimise the ‘maybes’. With that in mind, I’m actually going for a Kilkenny victory on Sunday evening, in what will hopefully be another classic.
The reason I am coming down on the side of Kilkenny is twofold.
· Kilkenny half back line. The way in which Tipperary play ball into their forwards is absolutely lethal against backlines that are not prepared for it, and for players that are not of the same calibre as the Tipperary forwards. In Kilkenny I think they will meet a team who will let their full back line stay as full backs and drop the half back line, featuring stars like Tommy Walsh, JJ Delaney and Brian Hogan into a coverage area where Tipp will be landing deliveries. If Tipp can turn the half backs and get them running towards their own goal, it will be advantage Tipp, but I think Cody will have learned from last year, and from Waterford’s problems, and try to make sure his half backs are attacking the ball at all times.
· Kilkenny half forward line. I’m a little bit less confident here, as I’d like to see Eoin Larkin out at the wing forward position, but I have a suspicion that the Tipperary half back line can be got at. Conor Mahoney at centre back is a fine player, and a real rock in the heart of the defence, but he can be discommoded by a centre forward who roams. Shefflin will surely pop up all over the place on Sunday, and this could be a factor. Kilkenny’s shooting was poor against Waterford, and more worryingly their decision making was very un-Kilkenny like. I cannot see Cody suffering that selfishness again, and I look to a much more efficient Kilkenny forward line on Sunday.
I think the game will be won in those areas, and while Pauric Maher is having a great season, and the Tipp Forwards speak for themselves, I think Kilkenny might do enough in those areas which will allow them to build up a winning score. I don’t see Kilkenny getting a lot of goals though, as the Tipp full back line is tight enough and the likely loss of Colm Fennelly will hurt that aspect so keeping Tipp, and the likes of Lar Corbett, Eoin Kelly and Noel McGrath quiet will be vital. I think they can do it.
There will be great hurlers all over the pitch on Sunday, and it should be a treat for all of us who love the game of hurling. I hope it lives up to its promise as this championship needs a good final.
Best of luck to both teams, and to their supporters as well.
Verdict. Kilkenny by 3
