Under discussion: Sunday's Munster SHC final blowout and the qualifiers.
Chatting are: Diarmuid O'Flynn Fintan O’Toole and Terry Reilly.
TERRY REILLY (Irish Examiner assistant sports editor): The big story of yesterday first, was it a case that Tipperary are that good or are Waterford in decline?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN (Irish Examiner sports writer): Have to say the former — an overwhelming performance, and it wasn’t just Waterford overwhelmed, it as all 36,654 in the ground, everyone watching on TV. 7-19 is the kind of score you expect to see at a one-sided U14 game, but in a Munster senior hurling championship game? Against a top-rated defence? In the final? Breath-taking hurling.
FINTAN O’TOOLE (Irish Examiner sports writer): Tipperary have elevated their performances to a new level this year. Their ruthlessness, particularly before half-time, was similar to the form that Kilkenny displayed in their pomp in 2008. Their attack is goal-hungry as well, raising 14 green flags on route to winning Munster championship is staggering. If Kilkenny set down a marker last Sunday, then Tipperary responded emphatically yesterday. The two of them are well clear of the pack now.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Tipp are doing now what Kilkenny have been doing for years, what even the great Cork team of the mid-decade did not do — they go for the jugular, go for goals. Kilkenny did it again against Dublin in the Leinster final; chance opens, take it, kill the opposition. Galway still have to learn it — Damien Hayes on Saturday evening (one of Galway’s better players on the day) had Alan Kerins free inside, took the easy option, point. Won’t do against either Tipp or Kilkenny.
TERRY REILLY: What’s the key? The attack has scored 14-60 now in three matches against Cork, Clare and Waterford. Those teams might not be the marquee names they used to be but that attack has to be their most potent weapon?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: The key is attack; Tipp have a good defence but not world-beaters, conceded big scores against Cork, Clare and Waterford. But, that pack of forwards, and that’s what they are a pack, hunting in droves, supporting, very unselfish; look at Bonner Maher’s pass to Callanan — could have gone alone but risked getting caught, knew no-one would catch greyhound Seamus, made the INSTANT (and that’s important) decision to pass — goal. Midfield and half-back line also key; if they have time — as happened twice with Padraic Maher — they will pick out a player up front, but if not, just belt it and let the lads up front fight it out. Old-style, as Tony Considine said yesterday, but still very effective.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: The fact that they have so many attackers contributing is key. Take yesterday Noel McGrath and Callanan relatively quiet, Corbett and Kelly the stars. The question for defences is who do you target to mark as there is always someone else there to lead the charge.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Not to be overlooked of course their fitness levels, their pace, their power, and most of all, their touch — one touch hurling, that’s what it is, ball comes across, stick down, into the hand, and that’s all over the field. Brilliant job being done by Declan, Tommy and Michael.
TERRY REILLY: What about the Déise? How does Davy Fitzgerald pick them up after that?
FINTAN O’TOOLE: I don’t know if he can turn it around in 14 days. Recovering from a defeat of that scale is a really difficult task. Plus they’re going to be meeting a Galway team who form and confidence levels are travelling in the opposite direction.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Very difficult for Davy, very difficult. He went toe-to-toe with Tipp yesterday and for over half an hour it was working, but one deadly four-goal five-minute spell and it was all over. How do you change things in those five minutes? The man-marking by Waterford was poor, but when Lar is roaming as he does, who can keep pace with him? The next two weeks is actually the acid test for this Waterford management team, to turn this around. Will the players respond? Huge game now, for Waterford and for Davy.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Man-marking was poor but you’d have to question starting Jerome Maher in full-back line. Too hard a task for a young guy in his first championship game, similar to Brian O’Halloran in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Perhaps John McIntyre has already created an example for Davy, with Galway’s comeback from their loss to Dublin — back to basics, loosed the tactical shackles, let the team play.
TERRY REILLY: When they last took a beating like this it was in an All-Ireland final against Kilkenny in his first year, this is three years later in a Munster final, does it put him under pressure or will he start looking at the conveyor belt of talent in Clare, an open position and jump ship?
FINTAN O’TOOLE: This could be his final season and he’s the front runner for the Clare job. Clare may have suffered two bad beatings this year at senior level but they have serious underage prospects coming through. Aside from the 2009 U21s, their minor team yesterday were fantastic.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Absolutely Fintan, but I went through the Waterford defence, through the subs, and asked — who else had they to stay with Lar? They gambled on young legs, gamble failed, but who else? Noel Connors was tied up with Eoin Kelly (another key battle lost by Waterford), but Lawlor? Moran? Browne? Prendergast? None of the above would have lasted with Lar yesterday — oh, how they missed Eoin Murphy, and best wishes to Eoin for a speedy and full recovery. Nothing done and dusted in Clare either, though Davy does have the inside track, obviously, given his relationship with the board, but if Anthony Daly should become available again, if the U21 guys decide to throw their hat in the ring, if the current minor management team do likewise — and all those guys are from Clare, remember. Clare very well served on the managerial front at the moment, should be interesting!
FINTAN O’TOOLE: The supply into the full-forward line was key, if you look at the goals yesterday in the first-half, they stemmed from Waterford’s inability to claim possession in the middle third, a sector where Tipperary dominated.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Four long deliveries by Gearóid Ryan, two of those just belted, two sent with deliberate intent.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: I don’t think Daly will be a candidate this year for Clare and probably too soon for the minor management. Between Davy and John Minogue/Cyril Lyons.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Fintan, what’s the ‘mood’ in the city, regarding Denis Walsh staying on? Have to see, not good down around this neck of the woods, and met a lot of very disgruntled Cork supporters on the way to the Park yesterday. Feeling seems to be a for a clear out on the field and off.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: I think the feeling is that his term has ran its course. It must be said that the pool of talent at Walsh’s disposal is not as deep as other counties. The players just aren’t there in Cork at the moment and he has managed to blood a lot of new players over the last couple of years. Similar to what Sparrow did in Clare, the next manager will benefit from that.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: That’s have to ‘say’ by the way!
TERRY REILLY: Have they run their course?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Totally disagree with that. So many deep pools in Cork, but untapped. The players are there, the fault lies with those in administration, who don’t have the kind of setup in place at underage that we are seeing develop now all over the hurling world. Met a guy on the stewarding yesterday, involved with Cork at underage — he said it’s a joke, the way they’re treated, but wouldn’t agree to interview. The way managers are appointed too needs to be looked at — no more gambles on guys with unproven records of success at the very top. And yes, very definitely I would say they’ve run their course, would argue strongly that they should never have been appointed in the first place. See reasoning above.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: But that is underage players you’re referring to, in terms of the senior players currently available to Walsh, I don’t think there is anyone that was blatantly overlooked for the 26-man panel on Saturday. You can quibble with his positioning of players and his substitutions, but in terms of the panel he picked, he was not playing a strong hand. The faults as regards underage structures etc are the county board’s not Walsh’s.
TERRY REILLY: I’ll take a step back.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: ‘Quibble’ with positioning and switches? An average of seven personnel changes from game to game during the league, then an additional few positional switches, meaning no-one ever got to settle, no-one ever got to ‘read’ the others? And the switches during the game? Cian McCarthy taken off, three points scored, Niall Mac ditto, two points in the bag, Ben left on when he was clearly struggling? And Conor Lehane, four minutes to go? Come on Fintan!
As for the Seán Óg decision and the way it was handled, don’t get me started!
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Valid points all of that, in terms of the chopping and changing during league, and the substitutions. But the point I’m making is that I don’t think there was any player that should genuinely have been in that 26-man panel on Saturday, that wasn’t selected. The lack of underage success in recent years, in terms of delivering trophies and producing talented players at senior level, is now costing the county. The players simply are not there.
TERRY REILLY: Strong stuff, heard a few Cork fans saying similar stuff in the last couple of days even before the game. As an outsider though, while it’s clear Cork are in decline, is it fair to say Galway are just better at the moment and have come across a very talented team?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: No, would not say Galway are just better at the moment; Cork had a dominant full-forward line early on, should have done what Tipp did yesterday, just belted ball into them any which way; Horgan is superb in the air, Paudie one of those guys who does magic with hurley and ball, can bring it down dead to his hand or deflect to his own advantage. He had a definite net-bound shot blocked by David Collins, took the helmet off Shane Kavanagh with another — Cork are closer than many think, but it’s not a player problem, it’s board, it’s management. Critical time now — get the right team in. We’ve beaten Tipp a few times in minor in the last few years, we were very competitive against their star U21 team last year, even without the footballers — please, the players are there! I would have the same argument, by the way, about the appointment of managers and management teams at minor and U21 — not enough thought being given to it. We haven’t mentioned Limerick — the Treaty for the double this year?
TERRY REILLY: Something else by Donal O’Grady, Hannon is looking like a serious senior talent already?
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Sending-off apart, that was an impressive demolition job on Antrim — going to be great build-up to the Dublin game, and both will fancy their chances. Hannon the real deal — man of the match in a Munster club final against Newtown when he was barely 16. Serious young talent up front for Limerick, with himself, Downes, Seanie Tobin, Graeme Mulcahy
TERRY REILLY: Do they have a chance against the Dubs?
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Dublin should have plenty motivation for that game after their defeat in 2009 when they were expected to win. Should be a tight game, given Dublin’s injury problems and lack of depth in their panel, Limerick have a real chance.
DIARMUID O’FLYNN: Very much so, though I think Dublin’s development is just that step ahead at the moment. A game that will tell us a lot — Dublin need a performance of Tipp/Kilkenny/Galway caliber if they’re to get back among the contenders, and Limerick will offer the ideal test.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/uLlvqq8-7lI/post.aspx
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