Anthony Daly: Tipp won't take a backward step but Cork's intent is greater

For all the talk about Cork’s edge, there will be a sharpness about Tipp too, for more reasons than wanting to prove they’re better than Cork.

BLOCKBUSTER: Jason Forde of Tipperary and Cork’s Eoin Downey in last April’s Division 1A final, which was a sellout at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, but tonight’s match may be even bigger after Tipp blew Cork out of the water in the second half of the All-Ireland final. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

IT’S unusual for a round 3 league game to attract the kind of crowd expected in Páirc Uí Chaoimh tonight but this is what the GAA build these stadiums for. Given the huge debt still to be paid, it’s what Cork GAA crave. And with the attraction Cork hurling now is, especially to its own public, it’s also what everyone expects, particularly for a fixture of this magnitude.

Last year’s league final was a sellout but I’d argue that this match is even bigger, considering what happened last July when Tipp blew Cork out of the water in the second half.