This was a different, poorer Thurles Sars outfit

WHAT a difference two weeks makes. A couple of Sundays ago, in the semi-final, the Tipperary champions put their bodies on the line, gave everything possible to get the win over Kilmallock, in Kilmallock.

I know, because I was with Kilmallock that day and I have to say, I was very impressed with the bottle shown by Thurles Sars; we all know the quality of the hurlers they had, but they showed real courage that day. Not yesterday, they weren’t putting their bodies on the line yesterday.

This was winter hurling, bitterly cold conditions, but so was two weeks ago; a different kind of winter hurling, heavy ground, but winter hurling all the same. And the thing about winter hurling is this – you have to put your body on the line, you have to commit, fully – Thurles did that two weeks ago, they didn’t do it yesterday, especially not in the first-half, and it cost them.