BY JOHNNY CAROLAN
WHILE the rest of the country decided that there was a hype train that had left Kent Station ages ago, anyone with a brain knew different.
Nobody we spoke to before last Sunday was full-sure that Cork would win; the expectation was more circumspect, knowing that a performance would be needed and that Tipperary presented a sizeable challenge.
At the same time, the feeling was that if the Premier County were to win, they would need to start well and put Cork on the back foot. When, therefore, Cork made it to half-time with a six-point advantage, the fearful could breathe a little bit easier.
The first half had been far removed from the flowing display against Dublin but Cork had been able to build their lead and Shane Barrett’s goal served to strike a blow on the call of half-time. Keep Tipp at arm’s length in the third quarter and surely everything else would follow.
At that stage, you could probably have named your price for a Tipp win with the bookmakers. When Cork won a scoreable free on the restart, most would have mentally chalked the point on – a seven-point lead giving that extra little bit of psychological protection.
Of course, it was missed and Tipp chipped away at the deficit until it was down to two and then, 41 years later, they received karmic revenge for the 1984 Munster final.
Back then, Tipp were looking to end what was a 13-year wait for a provincial title and, in the GAA’s centenary year, they had extra motivation as the All-Ireland final was set for Thurles, too.
They led Cork by four points with time running out when Cork’s Tony O’Sullivan sent a point attempt goalwards. It was just creeping over but Tipp goalkeeper John Sheedy batted the ball out – only for Seánie O’Leary to pounce for a goal. From there, Cork pushed on to win before claiming All-Ireland glory, too.
This time, Patrick Collins prevented Jake Morris’s point but sent the ball only as far as John McGrath, whose goal put Tipp into a lead that would never be relinquished.
Even then, while the momentum was with Tipp, Cork still had a chance, but that was soon taken from them, too.
Three down and 15 against 15, they were still in the game. Six down after Darragh McCarthy’s penalty and 14 against 15 after Eoin Downey received a second booking for fouling McGrath, it was game over.
It was a booking – but his first one was harsh and there was more than a justifiable shout that Downey was pushed by McGrath as Eoin Connolly’s delivery dropped in. It’s all moot now, though.
With the game slipping away, Cork’s brains became fried. The flowing, fluent play of earlier in the year was replaced by misplaced passes and individual play rather than cohesive teamwork. A goal effort off the crossbar and a saved penalty just underlined how it was not their day.
It’s important to remember that this was not Cork’s biggest loss of the championship – that came away to Limerick in the Munster SHC round-robin and they responded by beating the same opposition to claim the provincial crown.
That was just three weeks later though, whereas the next championship is nine months away. And, if Cork do get to the All-Ireland final, the mental obstacle will be a big one to overcome.
