Key final matchups: Maurice Brosnan's duels that will swing Cork v Tipperary

Ronan Maher of Tipperary and Darragh Fitzgibbon of Cork during the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 2 match between Cork and Tipperary at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Ronan Maher v Brian Hayes 

In the aftermath of the 2024 All-Ireland final, Brian Hayes got back to the team hotel, dropped his bag to his room and was hit immediately by a crippling wave of hurt. The only antidote to that defeat was to seek out the group.

“It is harder when you are on your own,” he recalled last year. “Days after driving the car by yourself and it hits you. Normal life away from it is actually tougher.” The pain of that loss remains a constant source of fuel for him and his teammates. Hayes has had a transformative impact on Cork since he came into the starting team. This season, he has scored or created 20 of their 35 goals.

His puckout prowess is such that Maher could be tasked with dropping back and battling in the air. The captain did a similar role on TJ Reid. Tipperary know this defensive adjustment can work once more.

After the Galway quarter-final victory, Liam Cahill gave an honest explanation of the impact three late changes had on his side.

“Our match-ups, we were thrown a little bit at the start with the three different changes for Galway.” That forced Eoghan Connolly to wing-back to take on Conor Cooney. It worked. In the semi-final, Connolly once again went out to the half-back line and clipped three points from play.

Rhys Shelly v Patrick Collins 

In the Munster championship meeting, Rhys Shelly did not start for Tipperary. Since coming into the team, they have scored 7-40 from Shelly’s restarts.

When Cork won the U20 All-Ireland title, the man on the opposite sideline was Paul O’Brien. He works as a GAA Development Officer at Dublin City University and produces outstanding tactical columns for the Irish Times.

O’Brien is with Tipperary as an analyst this year. Former Kilkenny goalkeeper David Herity has also taken on a more prominent coaching role. Together they possess a deep knowledge of how to maximise their puckout against Cork and to counter Collins at the other end.

Both number ones can expect to be busy. Shelly demonstrated his shot-stopping ability against Galway with four saves. Collins has the same skill, which he has demonstrated since the opening round when he expertly denied Peter Duggan in the first half.

The middle 

Cork and Tipperary are powered by a similar engine. Their style of hurling is full throttle. Go. Go again. Leave the opposition legless. Pace and power that demands a colossal effort. It starts at the centre.

Liam Cahill and Pat Ryan opted for unchanged teams for Sunday which means Conor Stakelum and Willie Connors will dual with Tim O’Mahony and Darragh Fitzgibbon. Those driving runs down the middle have been an awesome weapon for the Munster champions. Tipperary know they have to match that.

The standout statistic from the semi-final was that Dublin were turned over 17 times in midfield compared to just eight for Cork. Ryan’s side hit 5-11 from turnovers.

That is the point for both sides on Sunday. Midfield pressure isn’t just about protection, it is a platform. Noel McGrath’s outstanding pass to Oisín O’Donoghue earned deserved plaudits but consider that play in its entirety. Tipperary won possession deep inside their own half and Connors was the outlet, inside his own 45. From there he could pick out McGrath on the opposite wing. When he collected possession, two Tipperary forwards were inside the Galway 45 with a clear swathe in front of them.

This decider will be dictated by who can conquer centrefield.