Underdog tag quickly grabbed by wily Babs

THE Tipperary victory had scarcely been rubber-stamped when their wily managerial fox began the mind games in advance of the ‘old firm’ Munster final showdown with champions Cork.

“Glad to be there’, acknowledged Babs Keating, the sweat glistening on his brow on a day when soaring temperatures tested the physical capacity of the players to the limit.

But if Babs was thrilled his charges had booked their place in the June 25 Semple Stadium provincial decider, he was telling the hurling world that on all the available evidence, they are unlikely to be good enough to dethrone the champions.

“We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, a lot of work to do between now and the final and, to be honest, what we produced today wouldn’t be nearly good enough to beat Cork”, he said.

The final, according to Babs, will however be a “repeat of history, great history’, and a game he and all of Tipperary will be eagerly looking forward to despite the fact that they will go into it as outsiders.

“No two games are similar, so hopefully the final will be a different game to the semi-final”, said Babs, “because if it isn’t then we will be in trouble against a team of Cork’s undoubted class”.

The charismatic Keating, however, has immense belief in his team and believes his players will rising to the Cork challenge in three weeks time.

“Thurles, Munster final day, Cork and Tipp, you can’t ask for much more’, he said.

Keating added that when the full flush of victory has abated, and when they sit down to analyse Tipp’s performance over the 70 minutes, there are a few areas that they will be concerned about.

“We have a lot of hard work ahead of us”, he said.

Of particular concern to him was the manner in which Waterford took a grip on the exchanges in the second half, with their defence gaining a very definite stranglehold on the Tipp attack.

“Far too many balls that were delivered into that defence came back out too quickly for my liking”, said Keating. “That tells us something that will need to be worked on”.

Despite those mini criticisms however, the Tipp boss was fulsome in his praise of the way they had responded to Dan Shanahan’s goal which slashed their lead to an insecure two points with plenty of time still left on the clock.

Within 60 seconds the ball was nestling in the Waterford net from the stick of hugely effective substitute Lar Corbett, and that, according to Keating, was the most perfect way to nullify the Shanahan goal.

“It proved that the heart of the team is not only in the right place but is in very good shape too”, Keating said, adding that getting all fired up for the final against Cork won’t be a problem.

Following his 14 point tally against Limerick, Eoin Kelly went one better with a 2-9 haul this time, statistics which Keating said speak more loudly than any words can of this ‘young genius’.

“Kelly is tops”, said Keating, delightedly warming to the challenge of putting words to his ace scorer’s virtuoso performance.

“His two second-half points from play were positively brilliant, the work and artistry of a truly great player.”

Tipperary have a real gem in the young man from Mullinahone whom Keating believes can — and will — go on to become one of the greatest players, if not the greatest, of his generation.

But back to that impending Cork/Tipp final, and Keating’s thoughts:

“It’s one to be looked forward and look forward to it we will”, he said. Then the renewal of the mind games with the thoughtful addendum “that we’ll give it a go even though will be the complete underdogs”.