Tompkins: final vital to Cork

FORMER Cork All-Ireland-winning captain Larry Tompkins believes a victory for Cork in next Sunday’s NFL Division 1 decider against Mayo in Croke Park would be a huge boost after the championship victories they have suffered at the venue in recent years.

After last September’s All-Ireland final loss, Tompkins reckons success this Sunday would be a positive in helping in their rehabilitation despite the secondary status of the league.

“Going to Croke Park is a great chance to get over the hoodoo of the venue in recent years. It would be important just to do that and win a national trophy up there, which would be a step forward for this Cork team to make. They’ve no All-Ireland under their belt but Cork are fairly advanced at this stage in their development. This game is very important as well considering the big gap until championship.”

Tompkins has been impressed with the form of certain players throughout the league and credits them for demonstrating leadership qualities in the absence of established players through injury.

“A lot of guys have stepped up for Cork. In defence, young Eoin Cotter has done well and it’s good to see Ray Carey back. He was a loss last year for the final as he did consistently well throughout the championship. That’s good because the full-back line is probably a problem area. At half-back I feel Paudie Kissane has done brilliant during the league. He’s a wholehearted guy who I think is going to challenge strongly for a championship place.

“Up front, Paul Kerrigan and Paddy Kelly have been most impressive. They’ve stepped up to the mark and have showed good leadership which will hopefully continue into the championship. I would have liked to see a bit more from Fintan Goold from the start, as he possesses a lot of talent and I do feel though Cork need players at midfield and half-forwards to chip in more.”

Meanwhile Munster Council chairman Sean Walsh believes the right decision was made at last weekend’s GAA Congress to suspend the Interprovincial Championships this year and reckons unless a proper date can be found for the competition next year, then they should be scrapped.

“I’m not disappointed this year because trying to find a date for it in the calendar was doing it more harm than justice. With the International Rules series on at the end of this year, they were right to leave it and to come back with a detailed plan for next year on where to go with it. If they can’t find a proper date for it, then they should consider ending it because of the lack of interest in it.”

Walsh also praised the progressive steps being made by lower counties in Munster football and is adamant that the province is now reaping the benefits of the decision to revert to an open draw system rather than using a controversial seeded system.

“I know we got a lot of criticism for the year we seeded it but that might have been to protect the Munster football final than anything else. But the benefits of the open draw are being shown. With Clare, Waterford and Limerick, one of those will be in the Munster final this year, and the work going on in those counties is fantastic.

“Next Saturday now Limerick and Waterford get a chance to play in Croke Park and that’s a great reward for them.”

Walsh was speaking last night in the Kilmurry Lodge Hotel in Limerick at the launch of the Munster Council’s ticketing promotions for 2010 which will see attractive ticket packages offered for the coming season as well as a council ticketing van visiting each county in the build-up to championship matches. The official Munster GAA ambassadors were also unveiled, with Tomas Mulcahy, Eoin Liston, Nicky English, Jamesie O’Connor and Larry Tompkins amongst those former inter-county players chosen to aid the promotion of this year’s provincial championships.

Meanwhile tickets will be on sale tonight in Páirc Uí Rinn from 6pm-8pm for Sunday’s NFL Division 1 final between Cork and Mayo.