Bourke and Tipp bounce back

Teenage sensation Pa Bourke reckons Tipperary's minor hurlers got their just rewards when team captain Joey McLoughney held the Irish Press Cup aloft yesterday.

However scoring hero Bourke, who bagged 1-7 in the heavy All-Ireland final defeat of three-in-a-row hopefuls Galway, is still disappointed that the Premier boys lost June’s Munster final to Cork.

Voted RTÉ man of the match for his contribution at Croke Park, Bourke said afterwards: “It’s a great day for us, especially as coming up here we were seen as underdogs with nobody really giving us a chance against Galway.

“They’re a great team and I’d just like to wish Galway all the best for the future.”

Looking back on the season, the 2-20 to 1-15 defeat to Cork stood out as a defining moment for Bourke. Tipp bossed that game in Thurles, leading by 1-12 to 0-10 after 40 minutes’ play, but a late collapse saw them beaten and truly crestfallen.

The 18-year-old from Thurles explained: “After the Munster final, we sat down at training and reflected on it and we felt we were let down by a 10-minute spell when Cork got their two goals.

“The better team, on the day, lost and losing then made us even hungrier to win the All-Ireland. We worked hard and got our reward in the finish. It’s a great feeling to win (today) – it’s just brilliant.”

In his second year on the panel, Bourke finished as the team’s top scorer with a phenomenal return of 3-35 (1-18f) in six games.

There will be a special homecoming for the Tipperary minor players and management this evening on the steps of the Thurles Cathedral. It gets underway at 6pm.

The Tipperary County Board could be planning more victory parades as next Sunday will see Tipp's Under-21 hurlers and senior camogie stars both seeking further All-Ireland glory in the capital.