Tipperary must find a way to free Quinlivan

In my years playing senior for Tipperary we only faced Cork three times in the Munster Championship. We should have won the 2002 Munster final but they hammered us in the replay.

Sadly, that was also the outcome in 2007 at the Gaelic Grounds.

In the past, Cork always played with a swagger but this air of confidence seems to be missing in recent years. Hopefully, it doesn’t reappear in Semple Stadium on Sunday.

When these two last met in the Munster championship in 2014, I came away from Páirc Uí Chaoimh scratching my head. How did Tipp lose it? Everything had gone to plan. Tipp worked their socks off, stuck to the game-plan and were set for a sensational win with the match in injury-time. Enter Aidan Walsh. The Kanturk man kicked three inspirational points from play to break Tipperary hearts.

Maybe a small bit of naivety cost the visitors that night, as they probably should have slowed the game down or even fouled at that late stage. To have any chance on Sunday, Tipperary must start well and ask serious questions of Cork in the opening quarter.

Huge workrate and tremendous discipline will be needed. All over the pitch. Too many times, the likes of Cork and Kerry have dominated the opening exchanges, building up a comfortable cushion and leaving Tipperary with a mountain to climb. .

In Michael Quinlivan at full-forward, Tipp have a match-winner, provided they can get quick direct ball into him. In the quarter-final, Waterford deployed an extra defender to sit in front of him but he still kicked scores from play and caused havoc. Some of the balls kicked into him were dismal but he still managed to squeeze something out of scraps.

He is in a rich vein of form at the moment on the back of Clonmel Commercials run to the All-Ireland Club semi-final and he gave the Dublin full-back line a torrid time in a recent challenge. It was evident from a young age Quinlivan was a serious talent. I was coming to the end of my senior club career when Michael came on the scene, so we didn’t cross paths much on the field. But my club Moyle Rovers and Commercials went toe-to-toe in many underage finals when Michael made the difference.

It was clear he had excellent balance, was deceptively fast and, most importantly for me, could kick left and right. I will never forget the penalty he tucked away in the 2011 All-Ireland minor final against Dublin. Facing into Hill 16 didn’t faze him one bit. A great attribute in such a young chap. His soccer exploits came in handy on this occasion. Soccer with Clonmel Town played a huge part in his life growing up, but thankfully he decided to concentrate on Gaelic football a few years ago.

I have no doubt that the experience of playing in and winning a Sigerson Cup with UCC under Billy Morgan has developed Quinlivan into the player he is. He was their go-to player that year, which shows the esteem he was held in the college. Playing and training with the Cork and Kerry players was always going to stand to him.

The one negative is the number of black cards he has accumulated over the last year and a half. For silly, lazy tackles on opponents with no danger around. It put his participation in an All-Ireland Club semi-final in doubt so hopefully he has learned. Tipp need him on the pitch for the whole 70 minutes, full-stop.

Tipp must ensure crisp transfer of the ball from defence or midfield into Quinlivan. He’s a strong target man, in the air or on the ground, and rarely wastes possession. He will be a marked man but I cannot see Cork double- teaming him so Tipperary must develop one-on-one situations around the danger area.

Conor Sweeney’s return should take pressure off him but Tipp need both to fire.

My clubmate Peter Acheson has also been in outstanding form and will have a vital role to play. He kicked three points from play from centre-back against Waterford at crucial times. His reading of the game is excellent and with Robbie Kiely returning, manager Liam Kearns may consider playing Acheson in a more attacking role. Cork selector Conor McCarthy was in Dungarvan but I don’t think he will have learned a huge amount.

Tipperary struggled to get out of first gear for long periods and relied on goalkeeper Evan Comerford on a couple of occasions when Waterford broke through.

People like Paul Kerrigan, Colm O’Neill and Brian Hurley will punish those lapses. Cork have some seriously talented players but much will depend on which team turns up on the day; the side who were only a kick of a ball away from beating Kerry in last year’s Munster final or the one humiliated by Kildare in their qualifier exit.

The U21 call-ups have freshened things, but that embarrassment ensures they will not take Tipperary for granted on Sunday.

As the link between defence and attack, Mark Collins is integral to their system. He will drop deep, collect ball and deliver quality supply into the forwards.

Championship 2016 has been forgettable so far, and I don’t necessarily expect Sunday’s game to buck that trend. But that will worry neither team. A Munster final appearance - and a place in the last 12 of the Championship - is the only thing filling their thoughts this weekend.