Sunday afternoon sees Cork and Tipperary taking centre stage in Croke the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final, an historic clash between these Munster adversaries at Headquarters.
Cork’s two-decade wait to bring Liam MacCarthy back to Leeside is on the verge of being sated, but Tipperary have emerged as a side brimming with determination and no shortage of ability.
A pulsating decider awaits at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon and our GAA expert has a trio of selections for the All-Ireland Hurling decider.
Selections
Cork -3 points @ 4/6
Over 3.5 goals @ 10/11
Alan Connolly anytime goalscorer @ 6/4
Rebels ready to satisfy their cause
Cork’s wait for an All-Ireland SHC crown stems right back to 2005 and that long journey is now within sight of the final destination.
Pat Ryan’s men were in a similar spot 12 months ago. They had dethroned Limerick in a titanic semi-final battle and were expected to see off Clare in the final, but the Banner edged them after extra-time.
Almost everything Cork have done since has signalled they are ready to go the extra distance now.
The Allianz League was won in the spring and the Munster Championship followed, despite a hefty round robin loss to Limerick in May.
They avenged that in the provincial decider and when Limerick’s season ended with a shock loss to Dublin in the quarter-finals, Cork’s pathway became very clear.
They ignited against the Dubs in the semis, scoring a mammoth 7-26 in Croke Park as they won by 20-points.
They were 15 points too good for Tipperary in April down in Pairc Ui Chaoimh, albeit the task was simplified by Darragh McCarthy’s red card before battle had been joined in earnest.
Cork are worthy favourites and if they perform close to their potential, they should enjoy a commanding win and spark wild scenes amongst the Rebel hordes in the capital.
Emerging Tipp to come up short
Liam Cahill’s side are a success story this season, irrespective of how the final plays out.
The Premier County didn’t even get out of the Munster series last summer but now find themselves back in an All-Ireland final for the first time in six years.
Oisín O’Donoghue has announced his inter-county arrival in style and the teenager’s wonderful late goal against Kilkenny in the semis will live long in the memory.
Darragh McCarthy has twice been sent off this season and any ill-discipline against a rampant Cork forward line will prove fatal.
Between these teams they scored 11 goals in the semi-finals. Two of the last four All-Ireland finals have featured over 3.5 goals and, given the attacking talent on display, that seems a reachable target again now.
Connolly to raise a green flag
Alan Connolly helped himself to a semi-final hat-trick for Cork and the Blackrock native forms part of a lethal inside forward line with Patrick Horgan and Brian Hayes.
Cork’s appetite for goals is insatiable. Against the Dubs they bypassed easy point-taking opportunities to score some wonderfully crafted three-pointers instead.
The Rebels know the mental damage such scoring can impact and we can expect more of the same in the decider.
Connolly showed ace finishing skills against Dublin and the 23-year-old is taken to find the back of Tipp’s net in the final.
