History awaits as Munster giants clash at Croke
Former Antrim captain Neil McManus will be part of the analysts' team for live BBC coverage of the All-Ireland hurling final.It's unbelievable to think that Cork and Tipperary have never met before in an All-Ireland final.Every season, these two counties battle it out in the Munster Championship but Sunday will be a totally different occasion when the teams enter the coliseum that is Croke Park.Between them, they have lifted Liam McCarthy 58 times - two of the most successful hurling counties in the history of the sport, and I cannot wait to have a ringside seat for this titanic tussle.Cork were at headquarters only 12 months ago remember, losing out to a Tony Kelly-inspired Clare side during possibly the best All Ireland hurling final ever witnessed after extra time.This will be Tipperary's first final appearance since 2019 when they romped to victory over Kilkenny - in fact this year's semi-final win was their first Croke Park appearance since that final six years ago.Their paths to this showpiece have been somewhat different and in truth, few would have predicted we would have got this final at the beginning of 2025!The Rebel County have been the favourites from the off for a multitude of reasons - performance last year, panel depth and firepower up front to name just three.Excitement has been off the charts and hard to contain all season, especially after that dramatic penalty shootout win over Limerick in the Munster final.That victory over the seven-in-a-row chasing Limerick really felt like a coming of age moment for the Cork group.
The transformation of Tipperary in the last 12 months has been remarkable.In 2024 they failed to win a game in the Munster Championship and finished bottom of the table. There were some strong statements from players and management suggesting that season was not good enough to represent the Tipp jersey.Their league form was certainly encouraging this winter, and the Premier County were building momentum until a championship meeting with Sunday's opponents saw Cork winning comfortably against their opponents, who were reduced to 14 men.But there were plenty of positives with Liam Cahill's men collecting two wins and a draw from four games.Their semi- final stories had divergent narratives as well. Cork routed Dublin, scoring seven goals in a blistering performance that can only be described as ruthless and we had some controversy in the second semi-final with the scoreboard shenanigans at Croke Park.If Tipperary could take any silver linings from Cork's performance in the last four it will surely be that Dublin managed to score 2-21 themselves.That will make comforting reading for a forward line boasting Jason Forde, Andrew Ormond and Jake Morris - and certainly give them hope they would be able to surpass that level of scoring.The more difficult part will be keeping a lid on a Cork forward line that are firing on all cylinders but they can also score from all over the park. The focus will be on their sensational full forward line of Alan Connolly (3-2), Brian Hayes (2-1) and Patrick Horgan (0-8) who accounted for a combined five goals and 11 points in the semi-final but equally as dangerous are the industrious midfield pairing of Tim O'Mahony, who netted twice against Dublin, and Darragh Fitzgibbon (0-3). The supply of quality ball from Cork's midfield to their explosive inside forwards really was Dublin's undoing and if Tipperary want to give Robert Doyle, Eoghan Connolly and Mikey Breen any chance at containment in the Tipperary rear-guard, they must pressurise the Cork delivery.
Defensively, both have a strong central spine.Tipp duo Eoghan Connolly and Ronan Maher have interchanged to great effect at numerous stages of the season so don't be surprised if Maher is positioned on the small square come Sunday again.The Downey brothers will wear numbers three and six jerseys for Cork and their towering presence has brought security to the Rebel backline. I feel the midfield battle is leaning towards Cork with their robust and athletic duo both already vying for All Star inclusions - and ultimately I see the Rebel County as the victors on Sunday.They've picked up the League title for the first time since 1998, conquered Munster and I believe they'll complete a clean sweep to bring Liam McCarthy back to Cork for the first time since 2005.My generation have given us five of the most skilled hurlers ever to play the game. Four of the five - Richie Hogan and TJ Reid from Kilkenny, Galway's Joe Canning and Tipperary's own Seamus Callanan - have already climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand on All Ireland final day with their counties. I believe we will see the fifth member of this incredible quintet Patrick Horgan join the exclusive All-Ireland winners club on Sunday.
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