Anthony Daly: Can anyone stop Cork's champagne hurling after league final win?

When they want, Cork play scintillating stuff. The momentum and confidence they have built up now is irresistible.

TRIP TO TIPP. Cork’s Eoin Downey tackles Tipperary’s Jason Forde during the Allianz Hurling league division 1A final at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Picture: Eddie O’Hare

No matter where I turned in Montrose in RTÉ yesterday, I was surrounded by Rebels. Jacqui Hurley was behind me, Donal Óg Cusack alongside me. When the match was tied at 0-8 each after 20 minutes, I piped up and said to them that the storyline wasn’t exactly following the script that they, and everyone else in Cork, expected. And then, in what felt like an instant, the narrative was suddenly shifting back in its anticipated direction.

After Cork tacked on three unanswered points, I said to Jacqui and Donal Óg that this was a huge 15 minutes ahead of Tipp facing into that stiff breeze. Could they hold out? I hardly had the words out of my mouth when Alan Connolly had the ball in net. Bang, bang, bang. Three goals. Game over.