DOUBLE TROUBLE
Tipp hero Brendan can’t see Banner or anyone else standing between Tribe and title defence
IT was something Brendan Cummins never experienced with Tipperary, the satisfaction of winning back to back All-irelands. Cummins and Tipp had the chance in 2011 but were lost to Kilkenny in the final. But the five-time All-star, a two-time All-ireland winner with the Premier county, believes Galway are in pole position to achieve that feat in the coming weeks.
“It’s the panel,” Cummins said. “Even (Colm) Callanan the goalie’s gone, and there’s no big hullabaloo. (James) Skehill’s playing in goals.
“Say I was gone the following year after Tipp won the All-ireland, the big story would be, ‘Where’s their goalie from last year?’ and, ‘You can’t win it with a new goalie’. But it’s been seamless. (Jason) Flynn has come in, Niall Burke has come in and out.
“It’s number 18 to 30 that wins All-irelands – whether it’s your first year, two in a row, three in a row, because they’re putting the pressure on.
“That’s what’s impressed me the most. They’ve come on and there’s been no bitching, no talking out of school, they’ve just gone about their business. It’s hard to manage. (Brian) Cody’s done it (won back to back All-irelands with Kilkenny), we couldn’t do it in Tipperary. It’s a real mark of a good set up.”
The Tribesmen must clear two more obstacles to emulate the achievement of the 1987-88 All-ireland winners from the west. They must start by beating Clare at Croke Park tomorrow.
Cummins is confident Micheal Donoghue’s side will win – setting up an All-ireland decider with Limerick rather than Cork he believes.
“Galway will still jump the fence,” stated the 43-year-old. “I think they’ll probably be too strong for Clare.
“If Clare can rotate and move their forwards around, and get a big game from Tony Kelly, they’ll come there or thereabouts.
“But I expect the experience and the Galway bench to get them across the line.
“(Conor) Cooney the last day wasn’t played and he came on and there was no sulking, so there’s no egos in this Galway team. There’s just the process – you plug in and you win the game.
“They’re looking to create a legacy at this stage and all credit to Donoghue in how
he’s turned it around. There’s no individuals any more, it’s a team, and they’re getting the rewards.”
Cummins has been impressed with how Skehill has come “back from the wilderness” under Anthony Cunningham to stake his place and to finally re-establish himself between the posts.
“He’s shown that he can do the job,” he said. “It will be a big challenge for him coming into Croke Park and he’s one that Clare will probably want to target in that he’s the freshest face here, and will probably be under the most pressure.”
In Sunday’s encounter between Limerick and Cork, Cummins predicts the Treaty men can win out if they take Cork out of their comfort zone.
He said: “If they shut Cork down and turn it into a dogfight, then you test whether Cork have the aggression or the anger to push on.
“If Limerick can do that, and they can if they keep their heads clear, then they’ll go a long way towards winning it. They have way more about them now than in
‘14”.