Tipp’s all-round power to swing Clash of Champions

TOMORROW’S showdown on Leeside is being billed the Clash of Champions with Munster titleholders Waterford facing All-Ireland kingpins, Tipperary.

But a word of warning. Last Sunday’s Leinster final pitted provincial champions Kilkenny against the Allianz League champions Dublin. Could it be that we will see a similar blowout?

Tipperary, after all, have the same fire-power we saw from Kilkenny, and a three-goal blast in five minutes midway through the first half was what did for Clare in the Munster semi-final.

Tipperary added a fourth major before the finish, but what a lot of people overlook, they also scored 19 points in that win, two more than Kilkenny managed last week.

A lethal attack then, and no ‘potentially’ needed – proven in game after game over the last couple of seasons. Hurler-of-the-year Lar Corbett, multiple All Star winner Eoin Kelly, brilliantly precocious Noel McGrath, on-fire Seamus Callanan, all-action Patrick Maher, the under-rated John O’Brien. How do you contain such an array of artillery? Throw in the rampaging Shane McGrath and Gearóid Ryan from midfield, the likes of Pa Bourke and Benny Dunne to be sprung from the bench and well, there may be trouble ahead.

Which brings us to Waterford, and not just their defensive sextet (however they line out) but their defensive thinking. What’s being said a lot about Waterford of late, and it’s being thrown at manager Davy Fitzgerald almost as if it’s a fault, is that they have become a very difficult team to beat. Sorry! Isn’t that what you’re supposed to be, difficult to beat? Shouldn’t that be a basic aim of every manager? The challenge after that, of course, is to then construct an attack, to build a team capable of winning. And here too, Waterford are well served. John Mullane we all know about, a marquee forward for a decade, but in Shane Walsh and Brian O’Sullivan he now has very good company up front, and in Shane O’Sullivan and Pauric Mahony outside, two players capable of scoring from range.

Eoin McGrath? Well, expect this buzz-saw of a hurler to be here, there, everywhere, along with the deceptively powerful Stephen Molumphy. Eoin Kelly, Seamus Prendergast? Expect to see those two big guns at some stage also.

The thing is though, while we’ve lauded the Tipp midfield and attack, we haven’t mentioned their goalkeeper, their defence. And what a keeper, what a defence.

Only the very best attacker would fancy a one-on-one with the giant Brendan Cummins, only a very foolish one would fancy an hour on Paddy Stapleton or Padraic Maher.

So, where does all this leave us? Going back to the top, it is a meeting of champions, it won’t be a blowout – heaven, we may not even get a winner, apart from the Munster Council, rubbing its hard-pressed hands together at the prospect of a draw!

But, we’re not fence-sitters here.

Verdict: Tipperary

Picture: BIG THREAT: The brilliantly precocious Eoin Kelly will be key to Tipperary’s hopes of Munster final glory.