Derek Lyng has lived the Tipp rivalry up close and personal

Lyng was 13 when he took his seat in the Hogan Stand for the 1991 All-Ireland final and the team he idolised was foiled by Michael Cleary’s mishit free.

Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng poses for a portrait during a Kilkenny Hurling Media Conference at UPMC Nowlan Park in Kilkenny ahead of the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Final match Kilkenny and Tipperary at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

“A couple of kilometres, I’d say,” Derek Lyng responds when asked how close his homeplace is from the Tipperary border.

Urlingford crackles with hop balls, bets and bravado this week. There, Sunday’s result will mean more. For the residents and those from nearby Gortnahoe, who will be hoping to have one over the neighbours.