Tipperary hobbled away from Páirc Uí Chaoimh in April having been vanquished by 15 points – but Declan Laffan feels there were also important gains made by the Premier County on Leeside that afternoon.
Darragh McCarthy’s red card in the opening seconds meant Tipp played effectively all of the contest with only 14 men. Cork won the Munster SHC round two fixture 4-27 to 0-24 but the Tipp management were able to pull positives from the wreckage of that loss.
“We played 75 or 76 minutes with 14 men and I thought we were really manful that day and I don’t think the players got the credit they deserved,” says Laffan, who is a selector in Liam Cahill’s backroom team.
“Cork were really in their flow that day, it’s so difficult to try and stem the tide with 15 never mind 14. I just thought we were so manful in the second half and really stood up and we started to see the character that this team had and fortunately it’s carried through.”
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Tipp didn’t win a single game in last year’s Munster championship – drawing with Waterford but losing to Limerick, Cork and Clare. The defeat to Cork was a chastening 18-point hammering in Thurles.
But this season, Tipp’s only Munster defeat was that game against Cork in the second round – they also drew with Limerick, but crucially beat both Clare and Waterford. Tipperary are now preparing for a first All-Ireland final appearance since 2019.
“I think everybody took on the onus and the responsibility and understood that what happened last year wasn’t good enough and we drove it as best we can,” adds Laffan.
“The players have bought in, we’re fitter, we’re stronger, we’re mentally tougher, and I think we’ve proven that.
“I would probably say that instead of it being one particular thing it’s been a lot of small things and we’ve corrected or tried to do our best to make them more productive in every way and get the best value out of every small detail.
“When you put them all together then it adds up to quite a bit. I also think people underestimate the value of that draw the first day against Limerick too, that was a huge morale booster, and it was a huge morale boosting for the supporters too because when you have support behind you it’s worth an awful lot, so it’s great to see the supporters back in huge numbers.
“We’re now in a final and it’s a wonderful place to be but we’ve not won anything yet. Cork are league champions, they’re Munster champions, so we just have to be prepared now for the next day.”
Sunday will be the fourth meeting between Tipp and Cork this season, with the Rebels leading 2-1. Tipperary won the Division 1A League group game but Cork came out on top in both the league final and their Munster round-robin game.
“They’re a massive puzzle. The best way I’ll put it is, we know what they’re doing and what they’ll bring but knowing what they’re doing and stopping them are two different things,” says Laffan.
“But the thing is, we’ve played them enough times this year, so we might have a little bit more on them than other teams.
“You can’t stay doing the same thing unless you want to stay getting the same results so hopefully we can try and come up with something different and see where it takes us.”
