03-07-2025
Derek Lyng has lived the Tipp rivalry up close and personal
'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.
Lyng's Emeralds clubmate Aidan Fogarty remembered with unease the aftermath of Tipperary's All-Ireland win over Kilkenny in 2009. 'They all came into Urlingford to drink after that All-Ireland final,' he told PM O'Sullivan in 2019. 'Came into Urlingford rather than staying to drink and celebrate in their own town or village. Bragging and trying to annoy people…'
Fogarty told of how in 2009 the entire Kilkenny team came out to Urlingford on a bus and wrote their names onto a window pane in Doyle's pub in the town. It served to remind the Tipperary folk of the result.
Needless to say, the Kilkenny manager isn't going to go down memory lane, not this week. His bat of choice is diplomatic and he shoots straight. 'When you're growing up with it, it's massive. It adds to the whole event. It's a long-standing tradition. But for us, you can't get caught up in that. It's about preparing. It's game seven for us. It's an All-Ireland semi-final.
'Regardless of who you're playing, it's a huge game. It's something for supporters to enjoy a little bit more, I think. But it definitely adds to the excitement when two traditional teams and neighbours come up against each other. I think it just adds to the whole thing. It's great."
Lyng was 13 when he took his seat in the Hogan Stand for the 1991 All-Ireland final and Michael Cleary's mishit free foiled Liam and Michael Walsh and turned out to be the winning and losing of the game.
'Obviously, 1991 was not the result Kilkenny were looking for but it was still a match I would have looked at over and over. I would have idolised a lot of those players that would have played for Kilkenny in '91. They went on and won in '92 and '93 but didn't get to play Tipperary again until 2002 so there was a big gap there.'
By the time that All-Ireland semi-final came around, Lyng had won his way onto the Kilkenny team that beat the then defending All-Ireland champions, the Cats' first SHC win over them in 35 years. Before Tipperary broke the pattern in Lyng's retirement year of 2010, he had it over them on two more occasions, 2003 and of course '09.
Asked which win lasts longest in the memory, he replies: 'The first one for me obviously stood out because we hadn't played Tipperary in a long time in championship at that stage.
'Then obviously you go into 2009 and 2010 and things like that. There were huge games, 2011… it's ebbed and flowed over time. We haven't met now in a while in a championship.'
It's 10 years since those on the Lyng side of the border had the All-Ireland bragging rights, 11 since they previously overcame Tipperary in championship. The county's wait for Liam MacCarthy Cup is no weight on his players, he contends.
'None whatsoever, none whatsoever. That's not on this group. That's sport. Anytime you get through and win something you have to earn it. That's what we've been trying to do.
'What I'm looking for from the team is a really good attitude and application in terms of how they go about the games. I've been really pleased with how we've done that so far. We think we have a bit to go yet and we know we need to up it again this weekend. That's all we're looking for.'
The pain of last year's All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Clare won't be far from players' minds this week but not for any other reason than them being beaten by the better team, Lyng maintains.
'We definitely didn't throw it away. We were obviously in a strong position at half-time (five points ahead) and that's been well documented. We didn't do enough in the second half, simple as that. The better team won. We know we're going to have to perform for over 75 minutes in this game to win an All-Ireland semi-final. You have to.
'Games ebb and flow. You're not going to have it your way all the time. It's about digging out that. The other team gets on top for a while and seeing that through and taking advantage when you're on top.
'And that's really the game, being efficient when you get those chances. That's what we're focusing on, really, and making sure that we definitely bring the best performance that we can this year.'
