A tale of two classics

LAST YEAR'S epic showdown marked Tipperary’s Declan Fanning and Kilkenny’s Martin Comerford last game. Speaking separately, they recollect two of the greatest finals in the history of the game.

DECLAN FANNING: “Going into the 2009 final, nobody was giving us a chance. We felt we had been hurling particularly well and were low key. On the day, we thought we performed well but the result needs to go your way. What that boiled down to, I’m not too sure. We kind of faded with 10 minutes to go. But overall, the experience stood to us for 2010.”

MARTIN COMERFORD: “I played in the 2009 Leinster final and had done fairly well. But I was poor against Waterford in the semi-final and got dropped for the final. Kilkenny were kept in the game by PJ Ryan’s saves. He made one in the first half and stopped two bullets in the second half. They were phenomenal reflex saves. He got man of the match and rightly so. I remember the Tipperary forwards, particularly Lar Corbett, were hurling fierce well in the first half and scoring points from distance and creating chances. At the other end, Eddie Brennan was taking a few points. We were barely in it. Henry was out of it, quiet.”