Davy Fitzgerald - Pressure on Derek Lyng unfair while Liam Cahill looks secure

Irish Daily Mirror

04-07-2025

From the outside looking in, it feels as though there's a bit of pressure on Derek Lyng as the Championship heads for its conclusion.
I don't think it's fair, what it's worth. He's come in after the greatest manager in the history of the game and won three Leinster titles, but All-Irelands are what really count in Kilkenny.
They haven't won one in 10 years and if they don't see it through this year, it'll be their longest ever drought. That shouldn't be pinned on Lyng and this particular group of players, but if it happens on their watch it's something that they'll be associated with, rightly or wrongly.
Liam Cahill, by contrast, has probably done enough this year to ensure that he gets another season in Tipperary having brought the team back to Croke Park after a six-year gap and from a position where they looked to be dire straits 12 months ago. But you couldn't be so sure about Lyng if things don't work out tomorrow.
To be fair to him, he's put his own stamp on the team. They vary their game more now with the short and long ball. The puckout strategy has evolved beyond what it was under Brian Cody and, in Eoin Murphy, they have a goalkeeper that can adapt to that with relative ease.
Kilkenny-Tipperary games were always man-to-man combat but there will be a bit more to this match on the tactical side as both counties have moved on.
I still expect hard tackling, plenty of running and lots of nice hurling. This is a game that will have everything - but plenty of variation too, perhaps unlike their meetings of yesteryear.
The match-ups will be of particular interest to me and while the Tipperary inside line of Darragh McCarthy, John McGrath and Jason Forde have had a fine season, they will have it all to do coming up against Mikey Butler, Huw Lawlor and Tommy Walsh.
I would have Lawlor and Limerick's Dan Morrissey down as two of the finest defenders in the game. For me, it's most likely that Lawlor will pair off with McGrath, Butler will take Forde and Walsh will pick up McCarthy.
In terms of who Cahill needs to tie down at the other end, TJ Reid, Adrian Mullen and Eoin Cody immediately spring to mind and then you have John Donnelly, who works exceptionally hard, can win ball, get scores and has a massive all-round influence on the Kilkenny attack.
If TJ plays inside, Eoghan Connolly is one option that Cahill will probably have considered. He's been really good this year, strong in the air and tight but if you give TJ space, even at his age, he'll hurt you.
Ultimately, though, I think they'll give that job to Michael Breen and, on balance, it would appear to be the right call. He's more experienced and will be that bit tighter than Connolly.
Robert Doyle has had a great year but taking on Cody would be his biggest test yet, presuming the Ballyhale man is fully fit and firing.
McGrath has been written off for the last few years but it's great to see him back to his best. Again, he'll have it all to do against Lawlor.
Ronan Maher would seem a good match for Donnelly but I'm not sure that Cahill will opt for that.
In terms of how it will all play out, I can see Forde edging it on Butler. Not many get the better of Butler but Forde is playing with serious confidence.
But could I see McGrath and McCarthy doing the same on Lawlor and Walsh respectively? It's a possibility, of course, but less likely. So Kilkenny should have the edge back there, even allowing for the good form that those Tipperary players bring into this game.
And I think they will up front too. You could see Breen containing TJ, but Doyle and Craig Morgan tying down Cody and Mullen as well seems a stretch.
It's important to state that these are largely 50-50 battles and it's not about one player completely obliterating the other, more which team can shade enough of them to give their side the edge. And I believe the advantage lies with Kilkenny in that respect for the most part.
But then that could be offset by Tipp seemingly having a bigger impact off their bench - and that's a point that cannot be overstated. You have Noel McGrath's know-how and experience coming in and the likes of Oisin O'Donoghue, a big powerful man who came up with a goal against Galway.
But, ultimately, Kilkenny aren't Galway and this game won't be loose in the way that that one was.
Kilkenny to edge enough of those key battles around the field and return to the final.
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Cork find themselves with a massive opportunity and they owe much of it to their resilience.
They suffered a gut-wrenching defeat to Clare in last year's All-Ireland final and were hammered by Limerick only a few weeks ago, but they've stuck to their task and come to Croke Park as Munster champions and All-Ireland favourites. Deservedly so.
It's a big year for this team, 20 years since Cork last scaled the summit. They are a side that thrives on confidence and winning Munster fuels that all the more.
There are two key differences that I've noted with them this year.
Firstly, they are pressing the opposition half-forward line a lot more, something they didn't do in last year's All-Ireland final, to their cost.
I remember watching Mark Coleman that day standing on his own on the Cork 65, playing zonally. Meanwhile, David Fitzgerald picked up a mountain of ball, got a few scores and set up a few more.
Coleman either needed to press or drop and protect his full-back line. By playing zonally, he was doing neither.
This year, Cork are pressing but that comes with its own dangers and I would be wary of all three half-backs doing it at the same time with no cover for the full-back line. You need one to sit deeper to offer that protection and ideally that would be Robert Downey, presuming he lines out at centre-back.
Secondly, there's a much greater work ethic from their forwards. They are tracking and blocking and that unselfish element of their game makes a big difference.
Dublin will pose them a different challenge, however. Their pace in the middle third is unreal and they are very good at building the play from the back with the short ball.
Sean Brennan has won his place back in goals and brought off the save of the season from Aaron Gillane. Their full-back line is solid but how they cope with Patrick Horgan, Alan Connolly and Brian Hayes will likely define the game.
The midfield battle will be fascinating. Conor Burke was sensational for Dublin against Limerick but Darragh Fitzgibbon is flying it too.
I was very impressed by Dublin when Antrim came up against them, how well organised they were, their pace, the variation in their game and, most of all, how they play for each other.
That variation is manifest in their ability to go long to John Hetherton or Ronan Hayes, whichever of them is on the edge of the square.
Hetherton provided impact off the bench the last day but I would start him this time. He takes a lot of marking and Cork struggle with big men who are good in the air. The trade-off for Dublin is that they probably wouldn't get the full game out of him, but the start of this game will be crucial.
If Dublin can get Sean Currie working effectively off Hetherton then they'll be in business.
Dublin are here on merit, but while they survived heroically without Chris Crummey last time, he'll still be a massive loss. He's a good defender in his own right but he builds the play so well and causes problems for opposition going forward.
Their ability to back up a strong performance with another is also in question. It's something that dogged Clare in the early years of my playing career. We came from nowhere to beat Limerick and Cork in 1993 but tanked against Tipperary in the Munster final.
The following year we beat Tipp but were hammered by Limerick. We recognised that when you're built up after a big win, you just have to come back with as much appetite the next day. We finally cracked it in 1995 then.
Back-to-back performances would be the biggest indicator of Dublin's progress. They're not coming in under the radar this time.
But I think Cork will thrive back in Croke Park. The space will suit them. They haven't produced a top level performance over 70 minutes in this Championship yet but I feel that it's coming.
I expect Dublin to turn up, but Cork to win.