28 years after the Cork and Tipperary managers faced off in dramatic Munster final

The 42

3 days ago

BEFORE THEY WERE operators on the sideline, they were influencers on the pitch.
Rewind back 28 years when Pat Ryan and Liam Cahill were in opposition on hurling final day.
A Munster U21 title was up for grabs on that July evening in 1997, the current Cork senior manager wearing number nine at midfield, while the current Tipperary senior manager wore number 10 in attack.
When invited to expand on the Cork-Tipperary rivalry last week, Ryan used that game as an immediate reference point.
His present senior selectors Wayne Sherlock, at corner-back, and Brendan Coleman, pressed in off the bench, were both in the Cork ranks then. Cahill had his coaching sidekick Michael Bevans for company in the Tipperary forward line.
Tipperary selector Michael Bevans and manager Liam Cahill. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
There'll be plenty familiarity on the sideline in Croke Park next Sunday.
'Pat Ryan was always heading that way into management I would think,' recalls Bertie Óg Murphy, the boss of the Cork U21 class of 1997.
'Wayne Sherlock and Brendan Coleman are great guys too. Funny enough, if you look at the Cork team that won the All-Ireland (senior) in '99, most of the team were from that U21 era, 1996-98, but Cork also won an U21 in 1993 in Munster and five of the team that played in '99 were on that team and also on that team was Donal O'Mahony who is another selector now.'
The game was defined by the last act. A classic injury-time scenario – Tipperary protecting a precarious two point advantage on their home patch in Thurles, Cork conjuring up a feat of escapalogy when Timmy McCarthy cut through the defence to find the net.
'We had it won and there is no excuse really for the manner in which we lost it,' reflected Tipperary boss Michael Doyle after the game.
'Timmy McCarthy should never have been allowed through the heart of our defence. He should have been taken down much further out the field. Call it a professional foul, or what you like but the Cork centre forward should not have been allowed to see daylight.'
Timmy McCarthy (file photo). Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
'He did the same then to Sars in the county final for Imokilly,' recalls Murphy of McCarthy's match-winning strike.
'I was involved with Sars and Pat Ryan was playing with Sars, but there was five or six of the top lads playing with Imokilly. It was Timmy that got the goal again. He was with me in one game and against in another.'
Advertisement
Cahill and Bevans had done their best to construct a winning position for Tipperary. Cahill entered the game with a fearsome reputation, he had announced his arrival the previous season on the senior stage by bagging an All-Star award. He clipped over four points for Tipperary and Bevans notched two, yet a Cork backline populated by the names of Browne, O'Sullivan, Sherlock, and Ó hAilpin packed a strong punch.
Cork were ahead 0-7 to 0-5 at the break but Tipperary wiped that advantage out early in the second half. The lead could have been greater, Donal Óg Cusack diverting a blasted shot from Cahill over the crossbar and another out for a '65 from substitute Johnny Enright.
'Liam was obviously a player that we'd marked to watch,' says Murphy.
Bertie Óg Murphy (file photo). INPHO INPHO
'In 1996, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín was full-back and we lost the semi-final to Galway. It was frustrating now, I think we overtrained to be honest with you.
'In '97, we were able to put him back in his best position wing-back because we decided to play Diarmuid O'Sullivan as a full-back even though he was playing out the field with his club. So that worked out very well.
'The biggest problem that I had training those teams was that they were all – totally different to now – they were all playing with so many teams at the time. Timmy McCarthy was playing with nine or ten teams, Diarmuid O'Sullivan the same, hurling and football.
'Nowadays if you're playing U20 with Cork, you're playing nothing else for those few months. What we learned from '96 against Galway was that we needed to keep them fresh. They'd be giving out to me because half the time I would stop them training instead of going training.'
They dispersed after that as underage teams do, their careers scattering away in various directions.
A couple months on, Paul Shelly as a starter and Cahill as a sub, were competing on the pitch in the 1997 senior showpiece for Tipperary against Clare.
In 2001, Tipperary made amends with Thomas Costello, Paul Ormonde, Eamonn Corcoran, Mark O'Leary, John Carroll, Eugene O'Neill all starting in the successful decider against Galway, survivors from the panel that lost the U21 game four years before.
For Cork the senior breakthrough of 1999 involved Donal Óg Cusack, Diarmuid O'Sullivan, John Browne, Wayne Sherlock, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, Mickey O'Connell and Timmy McCarthy on the starting side, with Pat Ryan one of those on the bench.
The job spec of the underage boss was never about claiming silverware in the eyes of Murphy.
'It wasn't so much winning the All-Irelands, it was producing players to play senior with Cork.
'That was my attitude always, the wins were kind of a bonus, they were fantastic, but a serious amount of players came through with that to play senior and win senior All-Ireland medals. That's what it's all about. That's your job done in my opinion.'
Seeing his clubmate in charge of Cork on Sunday infuses him with pride, assisted by former players that passed through his watch.
'Always with Sars, Pat was the leader in the dressing-room. Even though we lost that '97 county final, even looking back you can see on YouTube that he was outstanding, the best player on the pitch.
Cork defender Wayne Sherlock. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
'I always said Wayne was probably the best player I ever dealt with, both in his position and his attitude.
'Brendan Coleman was a great bit of stuff, honest as the day is long. The two of them, they're doing a great job now helping Pat.'
The nature of that defeat stung Tipperary, a last game in underage ranks for many ending in shattering fashion as they were caught on the line.
Tipperary Manager Michael Doyle (file photo). INPHO INPHO
'We should have stopped him but failed and we are now paying the costliest price of all,' remarked Doyle after the game.
'But that is what sport is all about and we have got to take our beating hard and all as it is.'
Now with playing careers parked and management duties consuming their focus, Cahill and Ryan will renew acquaintances again in a final on Sunday.
Bigger stage, bigger stakes.
*****
Munster U21 hurling final – 30 July, 1997
Cork 1-11
Tipperary 0-13
Scorers for Cork: Timmy McCarthy 1-2, Mickey O'Connell 0-6 (0-6f), Darren Ronan 0-1, Austin Walsh 0-1, Pat Ryan 0-1.
Scorers for Tipperary: Eugene O'Neill 0-6 (0-3f), Liam Cahill 0-4, Michael Bevans 0-2, Ger Flanagan 0-1 (0-1f).
Cork
1. Donal Óg Cusack (Cloyne)
2. John Browne (Blackrock), 3. Diarmuid O'Sullivan (Cloyne), 4. Wayne Sherlock (Blackrock)
5. Derek Barrett (Cobh), 6. Dan Murphy (Ballincollig), 7. Seán Óg Ó hAilpín (Na Piarsaigh)
Related Reads
Conor Lehane: 'It's about being a grown up, you've got to take it on the chin and just drive on'
Who are the leading contenders to be 2025 Hurler of the Year?
What are the key selection decisions facing the Cork and Tipperary camps?
8. Austin Walsh (Kildorrery), 9. Pat Ryan (Sarsfields)
10. Brian O'Driscoll (Killavullen), 11. Timmy McCarthy (Castlelyons), 12. Mickey O'Connell (Midleton)
13. John O'Flynn (Blackrock), 14. Darren Ronan (Ballyhea), 15. Brian O'Keeffe (Blackrock)
Subs
Brendan Coleman (Youghal) for O'Keeffe
Colm Buckley (Banteer) for O'Flynn
Kieran O'Callaghan (Glen Rovers) for O'Driscoll
Tipperary
1. Justin Cottrell (Toomevara)
2. Thomas Costello (Cappawhite), 3. Paul Shelly (Mullinahone), 4. William Hickey (Boherlahan-Dualla)
5. Brian Flanagan (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams), 6. John Carroll (Roscrea), 7. Eamonn Corcoran (JK Brackens)
8. Mattie O'Dowd (Thurles Sarsfields), 9. Ger Flanagan (Boherlahan-Dualla)
10. Liam Cahill (Ballingarry), 11. Andy Moloney (Cahir), 12. Philip O'Dwyer (Boherlahan-Dualla)
13. Michael Bevans (Toomevara), 14. Eugene O'Neill (Cappawhite), 15. Michael Kennedy (Clonoulty-Rossmore)
Subs
Johnny Enright (Thurles Sarsfields) for Bevans
Referee: Pat O'Connor (Limerick)
*****