Padraic should demolish the Mahers bar

MAHER v MAHER as TG4 have billed it in a neat promo. On one side, Brendan Maher (left), flying the flag for outsiders Borris-Ileigh; on the other, Padraic Maher (right), a powerhouse presence on the powerhouse team of the modern Tipp SHC, Thurles Sarsfields. It says something though that the clips highlighted for the latter feature a couple of big moments from last year’s Championship — lining Joe Canning up for a crunching hit in the All-Ireland semifinal and banging over an inspirational point against Kilkenny in the final. Maybe it’s because Tipperary folk would prefer to skip quickly over the summer just gone and the failed defence of an All-Ireland crown. Sarsfields may come with the big billing but Padraic Maher just has to look at how the county team fared to understand how a team can struggle with the weight of expectation. The Stapletons are at the heart of the Borris-Ileigh story with Paddy filling the void left by his inter-county retirement by leading his team to the north Tipperary Championship and all the way to this final. And then there is Vincent, or ‘padre’ as he is often called in the dressing room. Ordained in 2015, he is currently a priest in Bohernanave Church, a puck of a ball from Semple Stadium and the clubhouse of Thurles Sarsfields. He knows that it will take a lot more than offering up a prayer to change the script in this one. It’s 1986 since the club’s last senior success, long enough for the next generation of sons to populate the team. And it just shows the David v Goliath nature of the contest that this pairing hasn’t been a feature of final day since 1955. And that Sarsfields are bidding for a fourth successive title. Given how Thurles have dominated the competition in recent times, the biggest mystery is how they haven’t been able to translate that dominance onto the All-Ireland club stage. Maybe this could be the year they build on that experience. Verdict: Thurles Sarsfields.