Win over champions would be a bonus
Cork v Tipperary
WHILE the change in format of the Allianz Hurling League this year means that there is less pressure in terms of trying to avoid relegation, Sunday’s loss to Waterford has put Cork under immediate pressure in terms of trying to make the knockout stages.
Cork’s last National Hurling League title was won in 1998, and while a 21-year wait becoming a 22-year hiatus won’t, ostensibly, make a whole lot of difference on Leeside, it wouldn’t do the Rebels any harm at all to be lifting some national silverware at this stage. Given that it’s 2005 since the Liam
MacCarthy Cup last wintered in Rebel country, and the urgency to win something at national level does become more pronounced.
It’s 2008 since Saturday’s opposition, Tipperary, last won the League title, but given that the MacCarthy Cup is currently in the ownership of the Premier County, manager Liam Sheehy will be less concerned about acquiring League silverware this year and bridging that 12-year gap.
What might be of more concern to Sheedy is the way – and reasons for – his team squandered a 10-point second half lead to fall two points short of Limerick last Saturday night in their League opener in Semple Stadium.
Down his Borris-Ileigh cohort of players – and Noel McGrath – Sheedy won’t be overly worried about dropping early League points, but he will want to get to the root of how his team was on the wrong end of a 12-point swing against a Limerick team that was thoroughly abject and awful for the entirety of that first half in Thurles.
“I’m happy where i have this group at the end of January, we got some new players blooded again tonight, they showed me a really good attitude,” the Tipp boss said on Saturday. “I’d like to think that I’m building a competitive panel for what lies ahead.”
It’s too early for teams to be thinking about winning titles or getting relegated, but with another format change to the League structure, neither Cork nor Tipperary will want to be losing more ground with back-to-back defeats this Saturday.
Whereas previously, one team from six in the old Division 1A would be relegated to Division 1B – the top four made the quarter-finals – now there are two sixteam groups in Division 1, with the bottom side in each playing off to determine who is relegated. The flip side of that is that there are no more quarter-finals, with only the top two in each group going forward to the semi-finals.
Cork manager Kieran Kingston certainly isn’t under any illusions about the size of the challenge facing him and his team.
“There’s no easy games in this,” he said, “every team on a given day can beat the other. Home advantage, sometimes you wonder if it’s good or bad, but there are no easy games in this division.
“It’s a busy week but that’s the time of year, we know that. We have guys playing Fitzgibbon (Cup) and then we’re on again on Saturday against the All-Ireland champions. That’s what it’s about, that’s why we’re in it.
“It’s a challenge but it gives us an opportunity maybe to rotate a little bit and give other guys a chance.
We have
Tipperary now, next week, and that is another tough game, especially as we have fellas playing during the week.”
Uppermost in the Cork management’s mind will be avoiding putting too much strain on those players who have other commitments, but some of those who missed the Waterford game in Walsh Park last Sunday due to injury should be available again. “Alan Cadogan probably could play a part next week,” Kingston said, “Colm Spilane
Cork might be able to play a part. They’ll be assessed at training on Tuesday night, Eoin [Cadogan] should be available for selection.
“But we have to see how the Fitzgibbon Cup games go and where fellas are at after Wednesday and Thursday. Some fellas will play three games in six days, that’s quite a lot, especially at this time of year in these conditions.”
It doesn’t take much for Cork and Tipperary’s hurlers to bring out the best - or worst - in each other whenever they play, and it won’t take much to ignite this fixture, albeit February will still be in its infancy.
Still, Kingston and Sheedy will still be more pre-occupied with getting their own house in order at this stage of the season more so than getting one over on the old enemy. Securing a first win after that first loss will be the priority for both counties; if that comes at the expense of inflicting some pain on the bothersome neighbour that will be a welcome bonus.
Division 1 Group A 1 0 0 1 -1 0