Tipperary have the bark and the bite

Waterford are a tough nut to crack, but they won’t hold a team of Tipperary’s ability

THERE’S one man who won’t be at tomorrow’s Munster hurling final, a man who didn’t miss either a Munster or an All-Ireland final since 1949 in hurling and football (“AND replays!”, as he always said himself), and that’s Tom Mannion.

A fanatic Tipp supporter, native of Birdhill, he had a travel business in Ennis for nearly all his adult life and in time he became a good Clare supporter also. Tipperary were always number one, however, and many a happy hour of banter was spent in his company. It’s of such people that the GAA is made up — he’ll be sorely missed, and my condolences to his wife and family.

Anyway, what kind of Munster final could Tom expect to have seen tomorrow? Isn’t that the big question? With the game being on in Cork, I think it gives it a greater chance. Thurles has the best surface in hurling but, the problems of getting in and out of the venue aside, I think Páirc Uí Chaoimh is the finest amphitheatre in the country, and the two sets of supporters are going to create some atmosphere there tomorrow. The game is almost a sell-out, but then if this game doesn’t fill the house, what game would? All-Ireland champions against Munster champions, both teams coming with big ambitions, it has all the makings of a brilliant game — hopefully the weather will oblige, the rain stay away.

To go to Waterford first — after all, they are the champions. I’d love to know what strategy they’re coming up with down there, because not for one minute do I believe the team will line out as selected.

Brick Walsh to full-back, Kevin Moran to centre-back, that’s how I’d line them up and I wouldn’t be surprised if Waterford do that; I also think they’ll bring one of their midfielders back to cover in front of the inside line of defence, probably Richie Foley, with Eoin McGrath slipping to midfield.

The big thing with Waterford is the workrate of their defence and midfield; the midfield especially is going to have to step it up another notch tomorrow. We all know now the damage the Tipperary forwards can inflict on any defence.

One thing Waterford have now that they didn’t have in the past, they’ve become a very difficult team to crack. They’re not playing the open game of the past, they’ve become tougher, harder.

The win over Limerick is a perfect example; the old Waterford team could have been blown away by half time by the ferocity of Limerick’s game, could have given up mentally. This team didn’t, they held on, fought, never panicked, then — as all know — when the game was there to be won, stepped up.

Which brings me to a question: I saw the U21 Munster championship game between these two teams, a game Tipperary won. Tipp had one senior player, Noel McGrath, Waterford had four — Noel Connors, Darragh Fives, Pauric Mahony and Brian O’Sullivan. Apart from Connors, it’s a first Munster final for the other three — is it too big an ask for the youngsters to do now what they couldn’t do at U21 level?

John Mullane is going to need a lot of help tomorrow, and some of that may have to come again from the bench.

Eoin Kelly came on the last day against Limerick, and it was his pass that made that final goal, the experience showing; John is starting tomorrow with a lot of very young and very inexperienced players around him, but when the game is again in the melting pot, you need that bit of experience.

I do like some of those young Waterford players, however, Shane Walsh particularly, shows very well for the ball, a good finisher himself.

To Tipperary, and you have to say this team is playing with supreme confidence in its own ability. And what ability. People have doubts about their defence — I don’t, especially not with Paddy Stapleton back in the corner and most especially with that man Padraic Maher in the half line.

People talk of how Clare tore into them, raced into that early lead, but what of the cool way Tipperary came back, what of the deadly way Tipperary came back? I know there was naive defending, but Tipp put those goals away, all three of them well finished, and by three different attackers.

Then you have Seamus Callanan, on fire, matured so well — no waving to the crowd now, just gets on with his game, gets his scores, puts in a massive shift in every game. Good to see that.

How’s it going to go? Well, I think that wherever he is, Tom Mannion will have something to celebrate tomorrow evening.

Of course, it’s not the only big hurling action this weekend. This afternoon in Limerick, Cork and Galway meet for a place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals and this is going to be another humdinger.

Everyone is now saying how good Galway were against Clare, only a couple of weeks after the same people were saying how bad they were against Dublin, so which is it? How well did Dublin play, how poor were Clare?

There’s a real contradiction in Galway, and it has to be a concern.

Cork took criticism for the way they eventually scraped over Offaly, but I was impressed; 14 players for most of the game, they ground it out. They have Ronan Curran back now, a very good half-back line in place. You know, I have a sneaking feeling for Cor.

Limerick and Antrim? Limerick are almost unbackable here, and I have to agree with that. Two big players missing, Paul Browne and Graeme Mulcahy, but I still think Limerick will have too much firepower. All in all, a rip-roaring hurling weekend in store for us.

Picture: Gearoid Ryan and Kevin Moran clash at Croker last summer. Picture: Sportsfile