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ALL-IRELAND HURLING FINALS
Sunday 5th September


SENIOR

ÔDrive for FiveÕ won't be stopped


While Tipperary are probably the only team capable of stopping KilkennyÕs bid for an unprecedented five-in-a-row of All-Ireland titles, itÕs unlikely that they will have enough to deny Brian CodyÕs men their place in hurling immorality. By Randal Scally.Ê

The All-Ireland hurling final the whole country wanted to see will take place at Croke Park on Sunday, September 5 when old rivals Kilkenny and Tipperary meet in the showpiece game for the second year in succession.
The big question on everyone’s lips is: can Tipp prevent their neighbours from completing an historic five-in-a-row of All-Ireland wins? Such a feat has never been achieved before in either hurling or football. Kilkenny and Cork have both won four-in-a-rows in hurling, Kerry and Wexford have done it in football, but so far the five-in-a-row has proved elusive.
And nothing would give Tipperary greater satisfaction than stopping the ‘Drive for Five’, particularly in light of their heartbreaking and somewhat controversial loss to Kilkenny 12 months ago. Brian Cody’s all-conquering Cats are 1/3 on with the bookies to rewrite the history books, while odds of 11/4 are available on Tipp. After a disastrous start to the championship, Liam Sheedy’s charges have regrouped magnificently and on the evidence of their semi-final dismantling of Waterford, have a realistic chance of bridging a nine-year gap since their last McCarthy Cup triumph.
While Kilkenny’s dominance of the hurling landscape in the past decade has included All-Ireland semi-final wins over Tipp in 2002 and ’03, the record between the teams in finals has been significantly different with the Premier County only suffering two defeats since the 1920s.
The counties have met in eight All-Ireland finals since 1922 with Kilkenny winning by four points in 1967 and by five last year, but going down in 1937, ’45, ’50, ’64, ’71 and ’91, when a Michael Cleary goal proved decisive in a 1-16 to 0-15 victory for Tipp. In all, it will be the 15th All-Ireland final meeting between the counties with Tipperary having won nine to Kilkenny's five of the previous 14.
Unbeaten in 21 championship outings since they lost to Galway in the 2005 All-Ireland semi-final and appearing in their ninth All-Ireland decider since the turn of the millennium, Kilkenny will know that they will never get a better opportunity to achieve the five-in-a-row. But the absence of talisman Henry Shefflin due to a torn cruciate ligament and injury concerns over Hurler of the Year Tommy Walsh, Brian Hogan, Michael Rice and John Tennyson leave them somewhat vulnerable to a Tipp ambush.
Tipp proved last year that they are able to go toe-to-toe with what many regard as the greatest team of all-time and the experience of being involved in hurling’s biggest day will stand to them.
Kilkenny had four games to complete the five-in-a-row, one game a month. They’ve won in June, July and August, and now have just one to go. There appeared to be chinks in their armour during the National League when they were out of contention by the end of March, but their performances in the championship to date have been close to flawless.
They walloped Dublin by 19 points in their provincial opener and followed that up with a 1-19 to 1-12 Leinster final victory over Galway, which was more emphatic than the scoreline suggests. Galway were attempting to win the Leinster title for the first time, but they never looked capable of prising it away from the Cats, who collected their sixth Bob O’Keeffe Cup in-a-row and their 12th in 13 years of extraordinary dominance.
Galway were just four points adrift after 47 minutes, but within six minutes, they were 10 points down after Henry Shefflin (two), TJ Reid, Richie Hogan, Aidan Fogarty and Richie Power all hit the target. Game over.
Cork have caused their fair share of problems for the Cats down the years, but the latest meeting of the great rivals in the All-Ireland semi-final proved to be a total mismatch with Brian Cody’s side coasting to a 3-22 to 0-19 victory.
The Rebels must have felt they were in with a chance when they trailed by just 0-2 to 0-3 after 17 minutes, but the floodgates opened after Eddie Brennan swooped for Kilkenny’s first goal. A second goal from Aidan Fogarty, allied to points from Richie Power, Martin Comerford, Michael Fennelly and Eoin Larkin, left the Cats 2-12 to 0-5 clear at the break.
Even without the injured Henry Shefflin, Kilkenny continued to rack up the scores in the second half with a third goal from Richie Power eight minutes from the end putting them 3-20 to 0-13 ahead.
Tipp entered the championship as second favourites to lift Liam McCarthy, but there appeared to be no way back for them after being humbled by Cork in their Munster championship opener at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Two goals from Patrick Horgan, which had been created by a rampant Aisake O hAilpin, gave the Rebels a 2-5 to 0-9 interval lead. The expected Tipp response never materialised in the second half and by the end, Cork’s winning margin was a whopping 10 points – 3-15 to 0-14.
The Premier County have shown tremendous character to bounce back from such a shattering defeat, and they’ve done so without Liam Sheedy having to carry out major surgery. They got the show back on the road with a 3-24 to 0-19 demolition of Wexford at Thurles and continued their rehabilitation with a 0-21 to 1-12 defeat of Offaly in Portlaoise.
However, the jury remained out on Tipp until they edged out Galway by 3-17 to 3-16 in a classic All-Ireland quarter-final at Croke Park. It took a point from the ice-cool Lar Corbett in the first minute of injury-time to decide what has been the game of the championship so far. Tipp led by 2-8 to 1-9 at half-time thanks to goals from Eoin Kelly and sub Seamus Callanan, but Galway overturned the deficit to lead by two points entering the closing stages.
But Liam Sheedy’s charges showed their mettle when John O’Brien, Gearoid Ryan and Corbett shot late points to give them a dramatic win.
Tipp’s best performance so far came in their 3-19 to 1-18 defeat of Munster champions Waterford. Eoin Kelly had a rare off-day with his frees, but more than made up for it with two goals. John O’Brien also impressed with a six-point haul on a day when 3-15 of Tipp’s total came from play.
After Kilkenny’s defeat of Cork, there were many who felt they were cast-iron certainties to retain their All-Ireland crown, but injuries to key players, coupled with Tipp’s fine showing against Waterford, means the final is no longer a foregone conclusion. Tipp have improved beyond recognition since their spectacular collapse at the hands of Cork, with the switch of Paul Curran to full back, Shane McGrath’s return to midfield after a brief flirtation in the half forwards and Noel McGrath’s move to centre forward for the Waterford game working a treat.
Ideally, Sheedy would like to have held back the switch of Noel McGrath to the ‘40’ until the final, which would have taken Kilkenny by surprise. But such was Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh’s influence this summer that Sheedy felt he had no option but to make the move against Waterford.
A worry for Tipp must be the fact that they have conceded goals in every game except for the Wexford tie. Nobody needs to tell Tipp that Kilkenny will come looking for goals early and often, and won’t be satisfied to just take their points.
There is no doubt that Tipp are on an upward curve and are approaching the form that saw them come within a whisker of dethroning Kilkenny last year. However, it could be argued that Kilkenny are playing better now than they were this time last year when the gap between them and the rest appeared to be closing.
Kilkenny are an exceptional side and one more victory would confirm their status as the greatest team of all-time. Their half back line has been the cornerstone of their success, their squad is unrivalled in terms of strength in depth, Brian Cody is the most successful manager in the game and they have proven big-game players in every position. Richie Power stepped up to the plate when Henry Shefflin was forced off against Cork – both from frees and in general play – while last year’s captain Michael Fennelly has matured into the best midfielder in the country.
With so much at stake, all the pressure is on the Cats to deliver. Tipp are the one team in the country capable of causing them problems, but do they have the belief and, more importantly, killer instinct, to stop them?
A certain Seamus Darby, who famously denied Kerry a five-in-a-row of All-Ireland football titles in 1982, runs a pub in Toomevara these days. How ironic it would be if one of the Tipp players were to deny Kilkenny in similar circumstances. Anything is possible, of course, but there is too much at stake for Kilkenny to let it slip at this stage.
VERDICT: Kilkenny.
Ladbrokes.com odds: Kilkenny 4/11; Draw 12/1; Tipperary 5/2
MINOR

Kilkenny minors look unstoppable


KilkennyÕs demolition of holders Galway would suggest they will have too much for Munster champions Clare in the ESB All-Ireland minor hurling final.Ê

While it’s never advisable to read too much into All-Ireland semi-final performances, Kilkenny’s five-star showing against Galway was truly exceptional and makes them the hottest of favourites to claim a 20th Irish Press Cup at the expense of a Clare team who were put to the pin of their collar by Dublin.
Richie Mulrooney’s latest crop of young Cats are 1/12 on to regain the ESB All-Ireland minor hurling title, having lost to Galway in last year’s decider. By contrast, odds of 13/2 are available on Clare to upset the formbook and win a first All-Ireland in the grade in 13 years.
While the Banner County can take encouragement from last year’s All-Ireland under 21 final when they defeated the Cats, their joint-management team of Gerry O’Connor and Donal Moloney will realise they have a huge task on their hands. Kilkenny’s 19-point trouncing of the reigning All-Ireland champions was as good a performance as seen at this level in recent years and was not unlike the displays we have become accustomed to from Brian Cody’s senior side.
Ominously for Clare, it wasn’t the first hammering Kilkenny have meted out this summer. With the exception of their first round win over Dublin, all of the Cats’ winning margins have been in double figures. They’ve twice beaten Dublin comfortably which must be a worry for Clare as they had just a point to spare over the same opposition in the All-Ireland semi-final.
The Banner deserve credit for the manner in which they have recovered from a disastrous start to the championship, They didn’t look like a team that would end up in an All-Ireland final after losing their Munster championship opener to Waterford by 0-16 to 1-21 at Walsh Park. The Deise were the better team throughout and were never headed after full forward Cormac Heffernan first-timed Pauric Mahony’s pass past Ronan Taaffe in the 11th minute.
Fortunately for Clare, a 1-21 to 2-7 playoff victory over Kerry provided them with the perfect pick-me-up. Niall Arthur top-scored with 0-9, 0-7 coming from frees, while Aaron Cunningham bagged 1-4 in what was a routine win.
A quarter-final against Tipperary represented a step-up in class for Clare who showed real mettle to hold on for a 0-17 to 1-13 victory after having wing back Enda Boyce sent off on a second yellow card with 10 minutes remaining. Full forward Arthur was once again their scorer-in-chief, finishing with a personal haul of 0-7, including 0-4 from frees.
Clare’s best spell came midway through the second half when they surged into a 0-16 to 0-11 lead, but Tipp came back to level with a 59th minute goal from Liam McGrath before midfielder Tony Kelly hit a last-gasp winning point for the Banner.
Another impressive display of free-taking by Niall Arthur proved decisive in Clare’s 1-17 to 2-12 Munster semi-final victory over Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds. Arthur posted 0-8 from placed balls for the visitors who got off to a flying start and led by 1-7 to 0-2 after 17 minutes.
Limerick had the margin down to three points at half-time and, incredibly, they were back on level terms within three minutes of the restart thanks to a Michael Ryan goal. But Clare steadied themselves and were full value for their win with the home side’s second goal coming in the final minute.
Revenge was sweet for the Banner County when they defeated holders Waterford by 1-16 to 1-11 to capture their first Munster title in 21 years at Semple Stadium. Aided by the breeze in the first half, Clare looked the better side, but Waterford went into the break on level terms (0-6 apiece) thanks mainly to the accuracy of free-taker Padraic Mahoney. 
The Deise opened up a three-point lead on the restart, only for David O'Halloran to bring Clare level when he finished a three-man move to the net in the 38th minute. O'Halloran and Niall Arthur added points to push the underdogs four points clear before Eamon Murphy revived Waterford's challenge with a 45th minute goal. 
But with O'Halloran, Daire Keane and Kevin Lynch to the fore, Clare shot six unanswered points in the final quarter to end their long wait for provincial success.
Just as they had done against Limerick, Clare made a blistering start to their All-Ireland semi-final win over Dublin. Showing no Croke Park nerves, they led 0-8 to 0-1 by the 18th minute, but Dublin outscored them by 0-6 to 0-1 in the remaining 12 minutes to only trail by 0-7 to 0-9 at half-time.
With free-taker Arthur helping himself to 0-8, the Banner managed to keep their noses in front throughout the second half. They led by five points in the 35th minute, four points in the 48th minute and again by four points in the 53rd minute. But they were left hanging on for a 0-20 to 2-13 victory after Cormac Costello banged in a second goal for the Dubs late on.
Kilkenny have enjoyed a trouble-free run to the All-Ireland final. Ger Aylward struck 1-4 in their 2-13 to 1-9 opening round win over Dublin at Nowlan Park. After trailing Offaly by a point after 13 minutes of their Leinster semi-final clash at Tullamore, the Cats never looked back after Aylward goaled to help them to a 1-10 to 0-9 interval lead.
Kilkenny stepped up a gear in the second half with a second goal from John Power putting the seal on a 2-22 to 1-13 triumph.
Dublin once again provided the opposition for Richie Mulrooney’s side in the Leinster final at Croke Park and this time Kilkenny were even more emphatic winners. The game was up for the Metropolitans after just 17 minutes when Thomas O’Hanrahan’s goal propelled the Cats into a 1-6 to 0-2 lead. 
John Power was denied a second goal for Kilkenny soon afterwards after a brilliant parry from Dublin goalkeeper Eamonn Dillon, but the resultant '65 was fired over by the Carrickshock man and further points from Ger Aylward, Kevin Kelly, Padraig Walsh and Ollie Walsh gave the defending champions a 1-11 to 0-4 cushion at half-time.  
Dublin lifted their game after the restart, with John Hetherton's frees giving them hope, but Power and Aylward kept the scoreboard ticking over at the opposite end as Kilkenny coasted to a 1-20 to 0-10 success and their third provincial title on the trot.
The Cats saved their best performance of the season so far for the All-Ireland semi-final against Galway. Clearly hurt by their defeat to the same opposition in last year’s decider, they produced an exhibition of hurling to run out emphatic 5-19 to 0-15 winners.
Kilkenny struck for early goals from team captain Cillian Burke and Michael Brennan, but Galway trailed by just a point, 0-10 to 2-5, after Daithi Burke pointed in the 23rd minute. However, a third goal from John Power left the Cats sitting pretty on a 3-9 to 0-10 interval lead.
The Cats were relentless in the second half and had amassed a whopping 2-10 without reply before substitute Cathal O’Brien scored Galway’s first point in 21 minutes. During that second half, Ger Aylward claimed four brilliant points and pounced on an error by Galway ‘keeper Shane Kelly for a 33rd minute goal. The fifth green flag was raised by Kevin Kelly in the 52nd minute after he capped a mazy run.
Backboned by half a dozen players from St. Kieran’s All-Ireland Colleges winning side, Kilkenny boast six survivors from last year’s All-Ireland final loss to Galway – John Power, Luke Harney, Cillian Buckley and Ollie Walsh – while Ger Aylward and Willie Phelan missed the final through injury and illness respectively.
Midfielder Walsh is a son of Kilkenny under 21 manager and former All-Ireland winning goalkeeper Michael, while half forwards Power and Padraig Walsh, who scored 1-6 between them against the Tribesmen, are younger brothers of senior stars Richie and Tommy.
Walsh, Jason Corcoran and Brian Kennedy were also members of last year’s panel, with Walsh making an appearance as a substitute in the All-Ireland final and Corcoran playing in the Leinster final.
Clare are back in their first All-Ireland final since 1997 when John Reddan captained them to a 1-11 to 1-9 victory over Galway. That triumph was notable for the fact that it was Clare’s first in the grade and that they were the first team to win an All-Ireland via the backdoor system.
Clare are not short on quality with Tony Kelly, Paudge Collins, Niall Arthur, Daire Keane and David O’Halloran some of the players Kilkenny will need to keep a close eye on. If they can keep things tight, they will be in with a chance, but this Kilkenny team has been untouchable all year, and unless they suffer a serious bout of complacency, they won’t be denied.
VERDICT: Kilkenny.
Ladbrokes.com odds: Clare 7/1; Draw 16/1; Kilkenny 1/16
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