Cork must find best form to win

THREE weeks ago Galway spoiled the party by putting out Kilkenny in a memorable game which throbbed with excitement from start to finish.

It prevented history being made by having the same two counties contest three All-Ireland hurling finals in consecutive years.

Instead, the Westerners will be attempting a first title against Cork tomorrow.

For John Allen’s team, there is the challenge to succeed where five previous champion sides failed, and retain the trophy for the first time in 17 years. Apart from the fact Galway won their quarter-final in similar circumstances to Cork’s win over Clare (by coming back from being six points down late in the game), it’s notable they have come up against the ‘big three’ of Tipperary, Kilkenny and Cork.

Back in 1975, in the year they made a major breakthrough by beating Cork in an All-Ireland semi-final for the first time, Galway took a giant step by winning the League title after a lapse of 24 years. And, they did so with wins over Cork, Kilkenny and Tipperary.

Both were significant events in the prelude to the county’s All-Ireland victory in 1980, with a team including current manager Conor Hayes and captained by Joe Connolly.

Hayes went on to captain the county to back-to-back title wins in 1987 and ‘88, and to his immense credit he has succeeded in bringing his team to the final after suffering a 19 points hammering by Kilkenny a year ago.

In one sense, it’s a fairly straightforward game to analyse. Cork should win if they maximise their ability. In particular, they have a much stronger defence than Kilkenny and, for all their weaknesses at both ends of the field, Brian Cody’s side only failed by a goal.

Galway will field just six of the team which lost to Tipperary in the 2001 final, and most of the others have only come through from under-age ranks in the last few years. For them, the final will be a totally new experience.

Going in as underdogs will undoubtedly ease the burden and deep down, they know if they can hurl with the same verve and confidence as they did in the semi-final, there’s a fair chance they will really rattle the champions.

One thing is fairly certain, however. Given how tight and tense finals can be, we won’t have a nine-goal thriller.

Galway’s primary asset is the pace and scoring potential of their forwards, aided significantly by the consistency of Ger Farragher’s free-taking. David Tierney is showing the benefit of his experience and team captain Liam Donoghue has the steadiness and temperament required at this level.

Add in the excellence of Ollie Canning’s defending and the absolute consistency of Derek Hardiman at wing-back and it makes for an impressive mix of youth and experience. The only negative is a perceived lack of stability in the defence.

The Cork management are not without their concerns either, specifically the failure of Ronan Curran to get back to his best form at centre-back and the way that Niall McCarthy and Timmy McCarthy have also struggled for consistency. And, there have been suggestions that Brian Corcoran’s shoulder may not be as ‘right’ as has been reported.

There are, then, two ways of looking at Cork. Either they will produce another ‘winning’ performance - which is undoubtedly within their capability - or they will stumble through the game.

I believe they are going to triumph, but only if they play to form.

The game, of course, would benefit hugely from a Galway win, something that’s certainly not beyond the bounds of possibility.