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Irish Times
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
How Tipperary capitalised on Cork's chronic lack of flexibility to take All-Ireland title
Tipperary produced one of the most emphatic second-half performances in All-Ireland final history, overturning a six-point half-time deficit to defeat Cork by 15 points. The final scoreline of 3-27 to 1-18 was a result of a dominant 3-14 to 0-2 second-half burst from Liam Cahill's side. The win preserves Tipp's proud tradition of winning at least one All-Ireland title in every decade. Tipp's defensive structure Tipperary controlled the terms of engagement from the very start. Liam Cahill's decision to position Bryan O'Mara as a sweeper was crucial in shaping the contest. This allowed Tipperary's full-back line to go touch-tight on Cork's inside forwards without fear of being exposed behind. O'Mara consistently drifted into the space behind the central channel, especially on puckouts and in live turnover phases, cutting off options down the right flank of the Cork attack. Cork failed to adapt to Tipperary's system, which became increasingly dominant throughout the game This positional security gave Tipp the confidence to push their wing-backs and midfielders into more aggressive pressing roles. The impact was clear: Cork ball into their forwards was repeatedly smothered. Cork struggled to build any meaningful platform, despite scoring 1-16 in that half. It was a case of volume over quality — and Tipp were happy to absorb it, wait for turnovers, and then strike with speed and precision. READ MORE Cork entered the interval with a 1-16 to 0-13 lead, thanks to efficient long-range shooting and a well-taken goal from Shane Barrett. They found joy between the lines early on, and Barrett's link-up with Mark Coleman capped off a strong attacking half. However, most of Cork's scores came from outside the scoring zone, which masked underlying issues with their inside line and delivery success. Below we see a Niall O'Leary delivery from a short puckout. Cork continued to play long passes into the forwards despite Tipperary's set up nullifying most of these deliveries The sliotar arrives to Craig Morgan who breaks it to the recovering midfielders, Sam O'Farrell and Conor Stakelum. Craig Morgan bats the ball away, knowing that his midfielders will be the first to arrive to the breaking ball Delivery efficiency – Cork's first-half breakdown Cork made 24 deliveries into the opposition half during the first half, of which 12 were retained (50%), 11 were lost in contest and one was turned over to the sideline. This represents a balanced but ultimately unthreatening return for Cork. While half of their deliveries were retained, many were under severe pressure, and few translated into clean scoring chances near goal. The other half were broken down by a well-organised Tipperary defence that operated with a plus-one structure, anchored by Bryan O'Mara as sweeper. O'Mara's positioning allowed the full-back line to aggressively engage Cork's inside forwards, knowing cover was behind. His ability to close Tipp's left flank on puckouts and during broken play forced Cork to play into crowded zones. The delivery pattern shows how often Cork were smothered on entry — with 12 deliveries either lost in the air or immediately broken down. Tipperary stopped a huge amount of ball getting into the Cork forward line, especially to the left where O'Mara was an extra back Key match-up: Ronan Maher v Brian Hayes One of the defining individual battles was Ronan Maher's match-up on Brian Hayes. Maher's reading of the game and ability to step across Hayes — as shown in the example below — allowed him to repeatedly spoil Cork's attempts to isolate the full-forward. On multiple occasions, Maher got to the ball first or forced Hayes into delayed movements and rushed shots. His composure under the high ball gave Tipp crucial stability and helped blunt one of Cork's most direct threats. Brian Hayes was one of the best players of the championship, but Ronan Maher did an excellent job of stopping his impact This dominance in the aerial exchanges echoed Tipp's broader tactical control: where Cork looked to go long and test 1v1 match-ups, Tipp often had numbers behind or delayed Cork's delivery long enough to let Maher dictate the contact zone. Tipp's shot volume Playing into a strong breeze, Tipperary showed impressive control in the first half, retaining 14 of 26 deliveries (54%) and generating 25 shots from play. Their ability to work short passes and support the breaking ball was key, especially through the right and central channels. Sam O'Farrell was critical in both halves. His ability to link play and carry ball from his own half led to scores for Morris and corner back Robert Doyle. Sam O'Farrell's incisive running led to Robert Doyle getting into space for a score in the first half Despite the wind, they converted 13 points, but 9 wides reflected the difficulty of shooting from distance. Tipp's structured build-up and ball retention against the elements laid the foundation for their second-half dominance. Despite plenty of misses, Tipp stayed well in the game in the first half Tipperary takeover The third quarter proved decisive, which Tipperary won by 2-7 to 0-1, flipping the momentum entirely. Cork had 36 possessions in the second half but lost 29 of them to turnovers. Tipp scored 3-8 directly from those turnovers, highlighting their superior intensity and work rate. As Cork's structure unravelled, Tipp grew in confidence, executing with precision through standout performances from John McGrath (2-2) and Darragh McCarthy (1-13). Tipperary's third quarter blitz saw them totally dominate the scoring in the second half Cork surprisingly failed to adjust their system despite the breeze strengthening as the game progressed. In the example below, Diarmuid Healy delivers a ball into space, but the setup lacks support structure. Although Patrick Horgan latches onto the break, Bryan O'Mara is once again well-positioned in cover to shut down the attack. This moment typifies Cork's issues — long deliveries without a coordinated press or bodies around the break, allowing Tipp's plus-one system to nullify their efforts. Leaving Bryan O'Mara free again in the second half meant that Cork could not get their attack going Tactical turning points This wasn't just a game of hurling — it was a game of chess, and Tipperary played it with precision. Cork, by contrast, stuck rigidly to a plan that quickly proved ineffective. Time and again, they launched long, hopeful deliveries into a Tipperary defence perfectly set up to absorb them. With Bryan O'Mara sweeping behind a touch-tight full-back line, those balls were easily swallowed up, and Tipp transitioned with real purpose. Cork's forwards struggled to get the ball in the second half, and only scored two points Cork's refusal to adapt — whether by bringing an inside forward to occupy O'Mara or repositioning Mark Coleman as a deep-lying linkman — bordered on arrogance. Tipperary adjusted their shape, controlled the space, and forced Cork into panic phases. Cork had their chances — they hit the post three times, the crossbar once, and missed a penalty — but those moments of misfortune can't mask the broader issue: they had the players to disrupt Tipp's system, but not the in-game flexibility. In a match of such magnitude, their failure to respond tactically was as costly as any missed chance. Jeffrey Lynskey managed Galway to three All-Ireland minor hurling titles. He is also a former Galway under-20 manager and is currently an MSc student in Sports Performance Analysis at Setu Carlow.
Irish Times
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
‘We had a terrible game in-house': Tipperary bounced back from sobering loss to win All-Ireland in style
The Tipperary B team beat the A team during an in-house game just one week before the All-Ireland senior hurling final. Tipp gambled on playing Bryan O'Mara as a sweeper against Cork at Croke Park in Sunday's decider. The tactic proved to be a cornerstone to their stunning victory . However, their initial trials of playing an extra defender in training weren't exactly successful 'We trained last weekend and it didn't actually work out for us; we had a terrible game in-house, the A versus B,' said Tipperary player Eoghan Connolly. READ MORE '[The B team won] and by an awful score as well. There was wicked heat inside in Thurles last weekend and it was probably our first time playing with a plus one in a long time, since the Clare game I think. So it just took us a while to get to grips with it. But even by Friday evening, we were training and we couldn't get enough of it. 'Liam [Cahill] and Mikey [Bevans] put in massive work in the background. We got our match-ups right on Sunday and thankfully got the result. 'I have been involved since 2021 and I've been on the B team for a few years of that. It's just the competition; them boys are mad for a jersey as well. They are all so competitive, so it just drives everybody's standards that bit higher.' [ The hurling year in review: Ronan Maher leads the way for Tipperary's stunning triumph Opens in new window ] Connolly was marking Moneygall's Joe Fogarty for much of that in-house game. 'He's actually a carbon-copy of Séamus Harnedy. I got an awful licking off him last weekend – I was even half-worried as to what my form was at, to be honest,' he said. But Connolly need not have worried as he delivered a strong performance on Sunday to help Tipperary win a first All-Ireland SHC title since 2019. And he intends to be back out on the pitch next Saturday when his club Cashel King Cormacs play Clonoulty-Rossmore in a West Tipperary SHC final at Golden.
Irish Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Nicky English: Tipperary proved they're primed to take All-Ireland challenge to Cork
For the second day, goals won matches. It was a great display by Tipperary after a terrible start but it was also deserved, even allowing for the scoreboard controversy that I only became aware of after the match. All through Tipperary had a better touch than Kilkenny and their hurling was sharper, but it still looked ominous when it took 13 minutes for them to score a point after a bad start. John McGrath's goal was vital to steady the ship and keep them afloat in that opening quarter of an hour. They needed all of their goals and the three in the first half gave them a half-time lead, which was a remarkable achievement after Kilkenny's early dominance. Despite that, I felt Kilkenny's touch was off and they fumbled and turned over a lot of possession, including for some of the goals. Oisín O'Donoghue blocked a hand pass by Richie Reid to set up Jason Forde's point from play. READ MORE There were also turnovers for O'Donoghue's goal, which was brilliantly taken. It was hard for him to get the shot away, but he did, and on a day when Tipp seemed to get the bounce of the ball, it found the corner of Eoin Murphy's net. I think though it was a reward for their hard work and some excellent displays. Robert Doyle blocked the John Donnelly goal chance at the end and Bryan O'Mara put in a phenomenal shift in defence. Eoghan Connolly and Conor Stakelum scored three points apiece when the pressure was on. Jason Forde celebrates scoring Tipperary's third goal. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho Andrew Ormond has had a fantastic season and really stood up at the end, winning a couple frees which Jason Forde did very well to convert. I had been impressed by how hard working and resilient they have been and Liam Cahill deserves great credit for patiently rebuilding the team. They are getting better as they progress. On the debit side, Darragh McCarthy had his second high-profile red card this championship. He's a young and talented player but he needs to adjust to senior hurling and cut out careless actions. For Kilkenny, it was a major disappointment. They had been hoping to redeem last year's semi-final defeat against Clare. By half-time they had conceded three goals and you knew they wouldn't beat Tipp without scoring at least one themselves. They really need an injection of new blood if they are to stay in contention. At the moment they have a definite ceiling and Tipperary are likely to get better. For now, it's a first Tipp-Cork All-Ireland. We know all our lives that it takes on a life of its own and could go either way, but Cork will be justified favourites. However, for Tipperary, it's been a huge success to get to this point and they won't be easily beaten by anyone.
