Munster name unchanged side for crucial URC quarter-final at the ‘Shark Tank'
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Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Honesty was just what the doctor ordered for Tipp, says Sam O'Farrell
For a 19-year-old coming into a senior panel, the bloodletting in the Tipperary camp was quite the eye-opener but Sam O'Farrell was inspired by the brutal honesty. Unable to emerge from the Munster SHC, the 2024 season had been a humbling one for the group and they weren't in the mood to sugarcoat it for themselves. 'They definitely didn't shy away from it at the start of the year before Christmas. There was a lot of honest discussions and if anything it spurred us younger lads to get our act together to really drive this thing on because the passion that was displayed in some of those meetings, like, lads just wanted to do the jersey justice and get to days like this. 'Obviously, getting out Munster was the first goal, and I don't know if many could have foreseen this, but it was obviously the goal. Yeah, just the raw emotion and passion was inspiring from those early meetings, everything was put out on the table. They parked last year but those kind of scars would drive on those lads to prove a lot of people wrong.' From the victory over Clare in Cusack Park, the start of Tipperary's six-game winning run to glory, the road became clear. 'There is a lot of footage from after that game, and we were all jumping around like we'd just won a final in itself,' smiles O'Farrell. 'But I think that game was probably the catalyst for what went on to do this year. 'Obviously, we had one point from our first two games against Limerick and Cork, so we went to Ennis knowing that anything but a win wouldn't be good enough. To go into the All-Ireland champions' backyard and beat them was special. 'I think it was Craig Morgan's first Munster championship win, Ronan Maher's first championship win as captain, so what it meant to those lads and the buzz it gave us and it really kicked things on.' O'Farrell is in salubrious company with Pádraic Maher (2010) as an All-Ireland U20/21 winning captain who has also claimed a senior Celtic Cross in the same year. 'An absolute whirlwind and kind of the stuff of dreams. Myself, Josh Keller, (2019 U20 All-Ireland winning captain) Craig Morgan and Jake [Morris] would have carpooled all year to training. Jake would often remind us that in 2019 he did the 20s and senior. 'At the start of the year, you're kind of saying, 'Well, look, if we do one, we'd be doing very well. To have the two this year, it's just, it's the stuff of dreams, it really is, and it just still feels surreal.' Never was the moonlighting a chore for O'Farrell, Darragh McCarthy or Oisín O'Donoghue. 'I picked up a niggle at the start of the year and when you're missing a few league games, and you're injured going to the matches, the one thing you want to do is just be out playing. There was never any complaints on Darragh, Oisín or myself's end about double-jobbing.' U20 manager Brendan Cummins's support role to Liam Cahill was significant, according to the Nenagh Éire Óg man. 'When you're playing minor and you're playing U20, they say, 'We're developing you for the end goal, which is the senior.' Brendan was brilliant to us this year. He just let us in with the seniors for the first half of the season, just completely all in with them and any time we needed any bit of experience to lean on, he was there. 'Then, our senior management team, just the confidence they inspired in us young lads, handing us the start that first (league) day in Galway was huge. They never ever had a bad word to say to us or about us. It was huge bravery and, do you know what, the confidence they inspired in us was huge.' O'Farrell is following in the footsteps of his father Paul and pursuing a career in medicine. He enters his second year in the University of Galway. 'This year was an introduction year so it gave me ample time to be home for training and it wasn't too taxing. A lot of it was continuous assessment but I've heard it's going to be a different story now next year, so we'll move across that bridge. Hurling is my first love and as long as I'm able and want it I'll be playing.'
Irish Independent
13 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Martin Breheny: Cork are not the only ones facing closed-season pain
At 4.30 last Sunday, Cork appeared to have a hotline to the hurling gods and being told they were on their way to completing an All-Ireland, Munster and National League treble.
Irish Times
16 hours ago
- Irish Times
How Tipperary capitalised on Cork's chronic lack of flexibility to take All-Ireland title
Tipperary produced one of the most emphatic second-half performances in All-Ireland final history, overturning a six-point half-time deficit to defeat Cork by 15 points. The final scoreline of 3-27 to 1-18 was a result of a dominant 3-14 to 0-2 second-half burst from Liam Cahill's side. The win preserves Tipp's proud tradition of winning at least one All-Ireland title in every decade. Tipp's defensive structure Tipperary controlled the terms of engagement from the very start. Liam Cahill's decision to position Bryan O'Mara as a sweeper was crucial in shaping the contest. This allowed Tipperary's full-back line to go touch-tight on Cork's inside forwards without fear of being exposed behind. O'Mara consistently drifted into the space behind the central channel, especially on puckouts and in live turnover phases, cutting off options down the right flank of the Cork attack. Cork failed to adapt to Tipperary's system, which became increasingly dominant throughout the game This positional security gave Tipp the confidence to push their wing-backs and midfielders into more aggressive pressing roles. The impact was clear: Cork ball into their forwards was repeatedly smothered. Cork struggled to build any meaningful platform, despite scoring 1-16 in that half. It was a case of volume over quality — and Tipp were happy to absorb it, wait for turnovers, and then strike with speed and precision. READ MORE Cork entered the interval with a 1-16 to 0-13 lead, thanks to efficient long-range shooting and a well-taken goal from Shane Barrett. They found joy between the lines early on, and Barrett's link-up with Mark Coleman capped off a strong attacking half. However, most of Cork's scores came from outside the scoring zone, which masked underlying issues with their inside line and delivery success. Below we see a Niall O'Leary delivery from a short puckout. Cork continued to play long passes into the forwards despite Tipperary's set up nullifying most of these deliveries The sliotar arrives to Craig Morgan who breaks it to the recovering midfielders, Sam O'Farrell and Conor Stakelum. Craig Morgan bats the ball away, knowing that his midfielders will be the first to arrive to the breaking ball Delivery efficiency – Cork's first-half breakdown Cork made 24 deliveries into the opposition half during the first half, of which 12 were retained (50%), 11 were lost in contest and one was turned over to the sideline. This represents a balanced but ultimately unthreatening return for Cork. While half of their deliveries were retained, many were under severe pressure, and few translated into clean scoring chances near goal. The other half were broken down by a well-organised Tipperary defence that operated with a plus-one structure, anchored by Bryan O'Mara as sweeper. O'Mara's positioning allowed the full-back line to aggressively engage Cork's inside forwards, knowing cover was behind. His ability to close Tipp's left flank on puckouts and during broken play forced Cork to play into crowded zones. The delivery pattern shows how often Cork were smothered on entry — with 12 deliveries either lost in the air or immediately broken down. Tipperary stopped a huge amount of ball getting into the Cork forward line, especially to the left where O'Mara was an extra back Key match-up: Ronan Maher v Brian Hayes One of the defining individual battles was Ronan Maher's match-up on Brian Hayes. Maher's reading of the game and ability to step across Hayes — as shown in the example below — allowed him to repeatedly spoil Cork's attempts to isolate the full-forward. On multiple occasions, Maher got to the ball first or forced Hayes into delayed movements and rushed shots. His composure under the high ball gave Tipp crucial stability and helped blunt one of Cork's most direct threats. Brian Hayes was one of the best players of the championship, but Ronan Maher did an excellent job of stopping his impact This dominance in the aerial exchanges echoed Tipp's broader tactical control: where Cork looked to go long and test 1v1 match-ups, Tipp often had numbers behind or delayed Cork's delivery long enough to let Maher dictate the contact zone. Tipp's shot volume Playing into a strong breeze, Tipperary showed impressive control in the first half, retaining 14 of 26 deliveries (54%) and generating 25 shots from play. Their ability to work short passes and support the breaking ball was key, especially through the right and central channels. Sam O'Farrell was critical in both halves. His ability to link play and carry ball from his own half led to scores for Morris and corner back Robert Doyle. Sam O'Farrell's incisive running led to Robert Doyle getting into space for a score in the first half Despite the wind, they converted 13 points, but 9 wides reflected the difficulty of shooting from distance. Tipp's structured build-up and ball retention against the elements laid the foundation for their second-half dominance. Despite plenty of misses, Tipp stayed well in the game in the first half Tipperary takeover The third quarter proved decisive, which Tipperary won by 2-7 to 0-1, flipping the momentum entirely. Cork had 36 possessions in the second half but lost 29 of them to turnovers. Tipp scored 3-8 directly from those turnovers, highlighting their superior intensity and work rate. As Cork's structure unravelled, Tipp grew in confidence, executing with precision through standout performances from John McGrath (2-2) and Darragh McCarthy (1-13). Tipperary's third quarter blitz saw them totally dominate the scoring in the second half Cork surprisingly failed to adjust their system despite the breeze strengthening as the game progressed. In the example below, Diarmuid Healy delivers a ball into space, but the setup lacks support structure. Although Patrick Horgan latches onto the break, Bryan O'Mara is once again well-positioned in cover to shut down the attack. This moment typifies Cork's issues — long deliveries without a coordinated press or bodies around the break, allowing Tipp's plus-one system to nullify their efforts. Leaving Bryan O'Mara free again in the second half meant that Cork could not get their attack going Tactical turning points This wasn't just a game of hurling — it was a game of chess, and Tipperary played it with precision. Cork, by contrast, stuck rigidly to a plan that quickly proved ineffective. Time and again, they launched long, hopeful deliveries into a Tipperary defence perfectly set up to absorb them. With Bryan O'Mara sweeping behind a touch-tight full-back line, those balls were easily swallowed up, and Tipp transitioned with real purpose. Cork's forwards struggled to get the ball in the second half, and only scored two points Cork's refusal to adapt — whether by bringing an inside forward to occupy O'Mara or repositioning Mark Coleman as a deep-lying linkman — bordered on arrogance. Tipperary adjusted their shape, controlled the space, and forced Cork into panic phases. Cork had their chances — they hit the post three times, the crossbar once, and missed a penalty — but those moments of misfortune can't mask the broader issue: they had the players to disrupt Tipp's system, but not the in-game flexibility. In a match of such magnitude, their failure to respond tactically was as costly as any missed chance. Jeffrey Lynskey managed Galway to three All-Ireland minor hurling titles. He is also a former Galway under-20 manager and is currently an MSc student in Sports Performance Analysis at Setu Carlow.
