Will it rain at Croke Park for the All-Ireland final on Sunday and does it matter?

Irish Examiner

17-07-2025

Will the rain make a difference Sunday? That was the first question posed by the audience at the recording of Dalo's Hurling Show in Sarsfields on Wednesday evening.
The narrative appears to be forming that a rainy day might suit Tipp better. That conditions might slow down the match, and negate Cork's perceived pace advantage. And perhaps disrupt the slick exchanges of the Cork forwards that have delivered goals so far in this championship.
There is also an age-old concern that Cork don't win in the rain, though surely Mark Landers and the 99 gang put that one to bed, beating Kilkenny 0-12 to 0-11 in a miserly game in miserable conditions.
In the years since, current Cork selector Wayne Sherlock, who played that day, has relished that factor.
"The fact that it was in the rain, too, that was important, because you'd always hear this thing that Cork couldn't play in the rain.'
To Sunday, Met Eireann, by Thursday afternoon, has dialled back on its gloomiest predictions. Earlier in the week, Dublin was among the areas threatened with thundery conditions Sunday, as well as spot flooding, hail, and lightning.
Now, light showers are on the menu for final day, even predicted to clear around the throw-in time of 3:30pm.
So do Anthony Daly and Mark Landers think the weather will matter?
"I think if it was in any other pitch other than Croker you'd be talking about it more. Croke Park is so insulated," Dalo maintained. "The pitch is bone dry. It is nearly artificial. It is hard to get the right studs. You saw the footballers slipping and sliding."
But he's certainly not having the idea that conditions will level any skills gap.
"I often think the better hurlers come to the fore in the rain. I think the fella with beter touch comes to the fore in wet conditions. When the hurley and ball are slippy."
Landers is in agreement.
"In the Killkenny-Tipp semi-final there was a tsumani in the middle of the first half. It was ferocious for 10 minutes, but the score still ended up 4-20 to 0-30.
"It didn't stop the skill of the players on view. I think the players will adapt to any conditions Sunday. Whether it's sunny, windy, raining. I think the level of skill and performance now is so high that I don't think the weather will come into it.
"The weather will be the same for both teams and I think both teams are really skillful."