Cummins: rest will do Premier good

ALL STAR goalkeeper Brendan Cummins is confident Munster hurling champions Tipperary can successfully manage a five-week break before contesting the All-Ireland semi-final on August 16.

Tipp bowed out of the championship at the last four stage in 2008, having waited a similar period after their provincial final victory over Clare before playing Waterford.

But Cummins believes last year’s experience will stand the Premier County in good stead.

Cummins said: “We got caught last year. I won’t say that we were taking Waterford for granted but the hype around the place was Tipperary against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final and we fluffed our lines.

“Even though the team that we play next will have a couple of hard games under their belts, I’m hoping last year’s Waterford experience will stand to us. And I think that the rest we will have is needed.

“We’ll be training, meeting and chatting and getting revved up for the All-Ireland semi-final. There’s enough to work on between rest and tactics and whoever comes through, we’ll be ready for.”

Cummins was in good form between the sticks again on Sunday and produced a brilliant early save to keep out Eoin Kelly. Soon after, Kelly fired a 20m free to the net and the goalkeeper reflected: “What happened was the ball hit the ground in front of me and took off like a rocket. One day you’ll save those, the next you won’t. I stopped his first one but that’s the life of a goalie, highs and lows.”

Including the 1996 replay against Limerick, Sunday marked Cummins’ 10th appearance in a Munster SHC final. He also played in four provincial senior football deciders, including one draw, but had managed just two medals from 13 outings prior to Sunday.

Cummins admitted: “The whole thing is winning and that third medal is very important, for the team’s development and progress. It gives us more confidence and maturity for the bigger steps that lie ahead at Croke Park.”

Once again, Tipperary endured a second half lull but Cummins insisted that it wasn’t as pronounced as the previous games against Cork and Clare.

The 34-year-old reflected: “It’s going to happen that you have dips in a game. It wasn’t as if Waterford were going to pack up and go home. In the midst of all of this, the credit due to Waterford has been muddied by Tipp’s patchiness.

“We got goals when we took control and got the rub of the green here and there whereas Waterford got points. Credit is due to our full-back line too – Pádraic Maher was exceptional when he went in there while Conor O’Brien and Paddy Stapleton did very well to steady up and work themselves out of a crisis.”