Rebel Yell

Cork GAA and Tipperary GAA at Thurles. Certainly as produced a few talking points and epic battles down the years. Yesterday’s stunning Munster hurling opener was a treat for those that were at Thurles. For the rest of us, the late Sunday afternoon sports coverage suddenly roared to life. In other years the early rounds of the championship have often flattered to deceive but on Sunday at Semple Stadium this year’s hurling roared into life. After yesterday, the Munster Championship has been blown wide open, with Cork emerging with a real chance. The question too, can Tipp bounce back?

A Cork Performance

Before the game the Cork management had publicly sought a ‘performance’ from their changes, Kieran Kingston said they’d picked on form and previous achievements counted for nothing. And said the manager after yesterday’s stunning game, with the performance came the result. Clearly Cork had their homework done but they still had to execute. After the criticism last year of their defensive approach, what better way to return to Munster?

Serious Scoreline

The final total yesterday of 1-26 to 2-27 surpasses the total number of scores in any hurling championship match of last summer. In the final Tipp themselves had chalked up 2-29 against Kilkenny though the Cats ‘only’ managed 2-20 in replay. Galway scored 3-27 against Westmeath, and Clare scored 5-32 against Laois although in both cases the opposition wouldn't be the calibre of Tipperary. 57 scores over 70+ minutes of championship hurling. Padraig Maher said after the one thing they didn’t want to get into was a shoot out and that’s exactly what we saw. If this sets the standard for the Summer ahead we’ll be in for some treat. Leave the room for boil the kettle and you could miss five or six scores!

Father and Son

Kieran Kingston played down the the impact of any one player, but he must surely have had a grin on his face when he settled down over his late night cup of cocoa last night. The lad did well he surely will have told himself, even he didn’t verbalise to anyone else. The scuffed shot that skipped past Darren Gleeson’s outstretched hurl was a vital score, but Shane Kingston made vital contribution across the duration of the game. Father and son can take an additional glow of satisfaction from that subplot. One great picture on social media shows them in a warm post match dad and son hug.

Long Way for Tipperary

What next for Tipp? After making progress during the league and having shaken Kilkenny back in September, they were carrying the new kingpins of hurling tag going into the league final. Now having been gutted by Galway and had their defensive foundations rocked yesterday, the question posed is have Cork driven a fatal wedge into their prospects for 2017? Michael Ryan spoke yesterday of the volume of demands on his player and how the management decided to abandon plans for at least one training session because of concerns over player fatigue. Did a double round of club games have an impact? Tipp legend Nicky English’s comments last week on Tipp’s ability to defend their All Ireland crown now have a Cassandra-like ring about them: “The history of Tipperary in trying to defend the All-Ireland title is pretty poor in my lifetime… in Tipperary we’re very capable of getting ahead of ourselves. That has been our undoing on many occasions.” These defeats can have a chastening effect and sometime expose flaws and faultiness that need to be exposed so they can be fixed for the tougher days ahead. Tipp fans will hope that to be the case.

What Next for Cork?

When the dust settles Cork will brace themselves for battle against Waterford. Remember the Deise last summer had the beating of Kilkenny and maybe a bit of tactical naivety in defending their lead in the first match cost them dearly. They will be ready and waiting. Waterford beat Cork twice in Semple Stadium in 2015 but this young Rebel outfit with many championship rookies won’t be too concerned about what went before. When they look back after yesterday the first thing they’ll see in the rear view mirror is the Tipp All Ireland defence stopped in its tracks. That is a good enough reason for confidence. June 11th, bring it on.