Munster Final 2011, Tipp v Blaa's

Tipp team Brendan Cummins, Paddy Stapleton, Paul Curran, Michael Cahill, John O'Keeffe, Conor O'Mahony, Padraic Maher, Gearóid Ryan, Shane McGrath, Seamus Callanan, Noel McGrath, Patrick Maher, Eoin Kelly, John O'Brien, Lar Corbett

Stapleton back in at the expense of David Young a big plus for Tipp. Davy Fitz has a big decision to make with Wayne Hutchinson out. Throwing Brick into the fullback position is the logical thing to do but it's not a longterm solution and you'd expect Tipp with the forwards they have wouldn't be long finding a way to countenance such an obvious move. Expect to see Liam lawlor back there again for this one. Waterfords FB line has been their weakest link for ages now and no matter who slots in there on Sunday it's hard not to see Tipp really going for the jugular and their goals should be enough to see them through comfortably enough in the end I'd say.

I have to hand it to Davy - there's a lot of new names in that Waterford side, but they look as good as ever over the 13 years that they've been knocking on the door.

Obviously, there's incentive of Tipp's behalf to win the Munster title they couldn't win last year. But I'm not sure they are playing with the same fluidity as under Sheedy.

Should be end-to-end, high octane stuff. I certainly hope so.

Munster final is always a fantastic spectacle, no other GAA final compares. The 2004 version is probably the greatest game I've ever seen.

Hon the Deise.

Waterford will hold their own and will make a better fist of it than they did in last years semi final but Tipp will still plunder a couple of goals and will come through with 4 or 5 points to spare.

Brick to full back is a strange one, he is an outstanding centre back and would no doubt do a decent job at three but I suppose the question you have to ask has Davy more faith in Kevin Moran to hurl well at 6 or Liam Lawlor returning from injury to hold his own at three, whichever one he has more confidence in will dictate where Brick plays....At least with Brick at full back it would cut out the fast & direct ball that Tipp like to play into an isolated full forward...Richie Foley will be an addition as well, a much improved hurler over the last couple of years, while Shane Walsh at 14 is a very underrated hurler

Doubt Waterford will play with an extra man or sweeper in the backs but I would expect Tony Browne and whoever is at 6 will hold on the 40 while Molumphy and Foley will play very deep picking up the tipp runners and covering the space while Shane O'Sullivan will also drop deep like he did v Limerick while Mullane and O'Sullivan in the corner will drift out the field in order to use their pace and run at the tipp inside backs....


Tipp's forwards at times have looked excellent this year and they more often than not take the right options but I would still have question makrs over their defence, Declan Fanning has been a huge lose for his consistency and physicality, John O'Keefe while a nice hurler is still unproven at this level while David young will do well to see anymore gametime this year, while both Pat Horgan and Conor McGrath have caused their corner men trouble so far this year...Gearoid Ryan has struggled to fill Brendan Maher's role in midfield anything but a big showing from him next sunday will mean that he will be on the bench for the following match now that Maher is nearing full fitness

Can't see Waterford winning this one, Tipp seem to be flying it at the moment. Waterford however are lucky, very lucky in fact, against Galway in 09, Cork last year in the Munster final and then against Limerick. If Tipp do win on Sunday how will they fare with the month off, playing a game every 2 weeks really seemed to benefit them last year and you could say the month off went against Kilkenny as they didn't have any tight battles like Tipp had against Cork and Galway.

Waterford: C Hennessy; D Fives, J Maher, N Connors; T Browne, M Walsh, K Moran; S Molumphy, R Foley; E McGrath, S O'Sullivan, P Mahony; J Mullane, S Walsh, B O'Sullivan.

Jerome Maher making his debut at full back is a big call. Hurling championship needs this to be a tight game but it could fizzle out like last years AI semi-final. Tipp are 1/5 favourites, with Waterford the outsiders at 4/1 with 14/1 for the draw. Can't look past Tipp for this one, but will be interesting to see how Waterford play with them more than likely being Galway's next opponents.

Maher won't start at full back, it will either be brick or fives at full.

Puke is right it's just another one of Davy's tactics.

hurlingguru wrote:Puke is right it's just another one of Davy's tactics.

Have the feeling that all this talk of Brick going to three is a double bluff out of Davy and he will play at 6

Tipperary 5-10 Waterford 0-08.

Will Waterford come out for the second half?

Tipp full forward line is running riot, being helped by super ball being pumping long and direct into them but Waterford haven't helped themselves, Mullane completely mishitting a goal chance that would have pit three between them and Tipp go and score 4 goals in 5 minutes after it

If the Leinster and Munster Finals are anything to go by, Kilkenny and Tipperary part III is going to be an epic.

Very disappointing as a spectacle but no fault of Tipps. Waterford had the ultimate nightmare scenario playout in front of them today. Their probably not as bad as the scoreline suggests but maybe not to far off it either.

Looking like a Tipp v Kilkenny final in September, hope both sides have their best 15 on the pitch this year should be an absolute cracker

The Waterford panel have been ordered to meet in Dungarvan at 6am in the morning for a debrief. Oh to be a fly on the wall at that one.

Now is the time for Kerry to enter the Munster Hurling Championship. Avoid Tipp in early round and we would have a Kerry-Tipp final. At least quarter finalist, then could get a easy draw and in up in Semis. Kerry County Board and John Meyler over to you.

mossbags wrote:Very disappointing as a spectacle but no fault of Tipps. Waterford had the ultimate nightmare scenario playout in front of them today. Their probably not as bad as the scoreline suggests but maybe not to far off it either.

do you think they are as bad as Sundays game made them look Moss, it looke dlike it was one of them days when everything went against them, i know Tipp did play weel but every ball seemed to land in a Tipp players hand at the right time.

Is this the end of this particular Waterford team or will they have a say in things before the summer is out.

Poor auld Waterford

bocerty wrote:

mossbags wrote:Very disappointing as a spectacle but no fault of Tipps. Waterford had the ultimate nightmare scenario playout in front of them today. Their probably not as bad as the scoreline suggests but maybe not to far off it either.

do you think they are as bad as Sundays game made them look Moss, it looke dlike it was one of them days when everything went against them, i know Tipp did play weel but every ball seemed to land in a Tipp players hand at the right time.

Is this the end of this particular Waterford team or will they have a say in things before the summer is out.

Bo I've addressed Waterford on the Galway/Waterford thread. Hopefully it won't be the end as they lit up hurling like no other County in the 90s, despite having never acheived the Holy Grail

mossbags wrote:Bo I've addressed Waterford on the Galway/Waterford thread. Hopefully it won't be the end as they lit up hurling like no other County in the 90s, despite having never acheived the Holy Grail

They are now playing machine hurling and not lighting anything up though moss. Guys like Shanahan, Brown, Flynn, McGrath, Mullane etc don't come along in Waterford ever other year. Love the county and their hurlers but they missed the boat this time. The footballers have a better chance of All Ireland glory at this time ...

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

mossbags wrote:Bo I've addressed Waterford on the Galway/Waterford thread. Hopefully it won't be the end as they lit up hurling like no other County in the 90s, despite having never acheived the Holy Grail

They are now playing machine hurling and not lighting anything up though moss. Guys like Shanahan, Brown, Flynn, McGrath, Mullane etc don't come along in Waterford ever other year. Love the county and their hurlers but they missed the boat this time. The footballers have a better chance of All Ireland glory at this time ...

Waterford are finding out the same thing other counties who made the breakthrough -although waterford didn't- that it is impossible to replace men like Ken McGrath, Paul Flynn or in other counties like the Lohan's, McMahon, the Dooley's, Whelahan, O'Gorman, Storey, Cooney, Keady, Finnerty etc these lads are once every couple of generation type players in their counties.

The only saving grace for Waterford is that their underage system has been strong for the past 4 years and they have been doing very well in Colleges and have competed in the last three munster minor finals, they should at least have plenty of half decent hurlers coming through and already have a nice few lads under the age of 23 blooded which should mean they will stay fairly competative over the next decade or so and not completely disappear into the doldrums

What has happened to Lar Corbett over the last 2 years, he looked to be a promising player early on in his career but after that didn't look like anything special. He is now 30 and better than he ever was. I think Farrell was right when he said that he is like wine, that he is getting better with age.

What I particularly like about Lar is the interviews he gives after a match. He has to be a shoe-in for The Sunday Game when he retires.

clash-of-da-ash wrote:What has happened to Lar Corbett over the last 2 years, he looked to be a promising player early on in his career but after that didn't look like anything special. He is now 30 and better than he ever was. I think Farrell was right when he said that he is like wine, that he is getting better with age.

All down to Eamonn O'Shea's training and man management, told Corbett he would be a leader in teh set up but had to act like one, sent him off to get his hamstrings sorted and built a gameplan that played to Lar's strengths