No joking matter as Corbett ready to stand up and fight

HE has a dry wit, has Tipperary’s Lar Corbett, droll enough in delivery but effective nevertheless.

So it was that this particular correspondent came a bit of a cropper this week at the Tipperary media day in advance of Sunday’s Munster senior hurling final against Waterford. “There are those,” went the lead-in question, “Who feel that one of the reasons for the stuttering performances recently by Tipperary is that they don’t have a Declan Ryan up front,” a reference to the former bustling centre-forward from Clonoulty-Rossmore. “So what are you suggesting,” said Corbett, dead-pan, “That one of us should change our name?” Ouch!

In fairness to Corbett he went on to spare my blushes by actually addressing the issue. Ryan wasn’t the most stylish player Tipperary ever produced but in the way he put himself about, spoiled the opposition centre-back/full-back, broke ball, held it up, he was extremely effective. “I suppose it’s a fair point,” Corbett conceded, “But the game has changed too. Look at the midfield every county has now – it’s usually two light fellas. You don’t have the likes of Andy Comerford from years ago, it’s Cha Fitzpatrick or Shane McGrath. I don’t know if I’d agree with you – we have a good panel of players at the moment. Do we need a Declan Ryan-type? I don’t know. I think the forwards as a whole are playing okay at the moment and there are players pushing them for positions.”