Lar looks to be losing fitness battle

THERE are two major challenges occupying the mind of Tipperary hurler Lar Corbett this week.

One is Sunday’s Munster final in Pairc Uí Chaoimh against Cork - the other, this one more pressing, is the race against time to be fit for that game.

Corbett is probably one of the fastest men in hurling, a real sprinter, but that speed comes at a price - in the form of a troublesome hamstring.

“It’s not great at the moment, it is giving me trouble since the Clare match, and it’s not looking good. I’ve been to see Ger Hartmann in Limerick and I am getting a bit of treatment on it. But I’m not too hopeful for the Munster final.

“He says the problems start in my buttocks, that it could be back-related. He’s been giving me a lot of exercises, to try and get it right.”

Unfortunately, this isn’t a new experience for Lar. “I’ve had it since 2002, on and off, but I’ve never had them as bad as this year. I have it in the two legs, it happens on one, then you compensate, and it happens on the other. I came back too soon after the first injury, which is a common occurrence, and the second one went. It was the left one after the Clare game, but it could just as easily have been the right one. It’s very frustrating.”

Even if he does make it back for Pairc Uí Chaoimh, the problem is that he will have missed a lot of training.

“Yeah, it’s going on too long now, and it’s starting to really affect me, I’m going to have to get it sorted once and for all,” he agrees.

The conundrum then for the Tipperary management team is whether or not to take the risk. At stake is the honour of being crowned champions of Munster, but there’s a bigger prize.

“That’s right, there’s still an All-Ireland quarter-final there.”

No argument there, but a Munster senior hurling final, any Munster senior hurling final, is an occasion in itself. Cork/Tipp, however, is special, storied, the biggest rivalry in Munster, probably in all of hurling. It’s a rivalry rooted in history, every meeting much anticipated, by fans and players alike.

“They are always good matches, I don’t think there is ever a bad match between us. Tipp fans always like going to Cork, down through the years.

“I only went as a fan once, in 99, when Tipp played Clare. I enjoyed the craic, but not the result! In fairness, Cork have probably the nicest fans you could meet and are very popular in Thurles. A lot of them make a weekend of it, there’s great craic around the town on the Saturday and Sunday. You’ll see the same thing in Cork this weekend, the place will be full of Tipp lads on Saturday night.”

Including the lads who man the terrace, under the scoreboard, with the brush and the massive Slievenamon banner? “Yeah, shouting all the names, they’re a pantomime. It’s a great occasion for the fans, no doubt about it, a great occasion for the players also. It’s an honour to play in any Munster final, but it’s not often you get the chance to play in a Cork/Tipp Munster final. I’ll be gutted if I miss this one, it’s not looking good. Hopefully I’ll make it, but you have to look at the bigger picture, don’t you?”