Tipperary continues to bask in warm and fuzzy feeling of All-Ireland success

The afterglow of that All-Ireland win continues to warm the cockles of our hearts. The county is buzzing with a warm and fuzzy feeling. A third All-Ireland in ten years is a decent return and the manner of this latest win sets it apart from all others.

There appears to be universal agreement that nothing from the past compares. Older and wiser ones than me agree that there’s no equivalent match-up. It’s the sheer audacity of a team, peppered with so many youngsters and coming from such a low base to blow aside all predictions, that makes it unique. And that’s before you even mention the second half demolition job.

Match previews can make fools of us all. I was smiling at the weekend reading Joe Brolly’s look ahead to Sunday’s football final. He used the metaphor of the sea to describe Donegal’s power play. Then under the banner headline “Even Clifford can’t stem Donegal tide”, he finished off with the boldest of bold predictions: “Come this evening, the divers will be looking for Kerry”.

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Indeed. “What do you think of that, Joe Brolly!”

Economics is often described as a dismal science but you can put sports psychology alongside it. Anytime you’re dealing with human beings with all their complexities and contradictions, their failings and foibles, it’s not going to be an exact science.

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Hindsight is wonderful and on reflection you can easily see that Tipperary were underrated in most previews. Our route to the final was far more standout than Cork’s. A draw with Limerick and then a succession of wins over Clare, Waterford, Laois, Galway and Kilkenny was a much more imposing form line.

By comparison Cork had only beaten Waterford (at a stretch), a malfunctioning Dublin and Tipperary with a caveat around the Darragh McCarthy sending- off. Okay they got a Munster final on the lottery of penalties but only drew with Limerick in normal play time.

Those results shouldn’t suggest such a void between the teams as the odds indicated, though a few other factors did play into the accepted narrative. Cork had narrowly, and painfully, lost the previous year’s final – you must lose one to win one, etc. Then there was the nature of their two defeats of Tipperary this season, caveats aside.

Anyway, the analysis of the game itself focused overmuch on the influence of the sweeper. Sorry, I should have said the plus-one. All-Ireland 2025 has given us a new term – out goes the sweeper, in comes the plus-one.

Of course, Bryan O’Mara was excellent in the role but by half- time Cork appeared to have adapted and in the second half nobody was commenting on a plus-one as the game became a man-on-man battle. Ironically, Cork led by six when the plus-one was most visible but were skinned alive when the game was one-on-one.

You can’t rationalise that second half turnaround – so let’s not even try. Cork too would be best served by cutting short the blood-letting and focusing on the rebuild for next year. They’re already installed as favourites for 2026, with Tipperary in third spot behind Limerick.

Therein lies the new challenge for Liam Cahill. Our history in following up All-Ireland wins is poor. This time we’re in a healthy spot, with developing youngsters like Paddy McCormack primed for promotion and the minor class of 2024 in the background. Time to push on.

Finally, a parting word on the All-Ireland final. The Sunday Game panellists were asked for their highlight moments of the year and the best Henry Shefflin could do was a whinge about the scoreboard error. Pathetic.

That All-Ireland win has certainly piqued interest in our local championships, which have now kicked off. This is where the split season pays off. It’s where the club game has its season unimpeded by any inter-county distractions. All-Ireland winners were back on club duty at the weekend.

It’s an exciting time in the GAA calendar. The inter-county fare has hogged the limelight for seven months of the year and now it’s the clubs’ time. Of course, the detractors of this model won’t agree. For them the glamour of the inter-county is all that matters. To hell with the club!

The West division re-awoke last Saturday evening with the return of its senior hurling final following a one-year absence. Cashel’s promotion to senior status facilitated the revival and the crowds came in large numbers to Golden’s well-appointed venue to witness the King Cormacs renew rivalry with Clonoulty/Rossmore.

It developed into quite an interesting game too, with little between the sides for most of the trip. Ultimately it came down to the final few moments when All-Ireland hero, Robert Doyle, orchestrated the winning score. He made a barnstorming dash from defence, carrying the ball deep into Cashel’s territory before laying off to Stephen Ferncombe, who rattled the rigging with a fine finish.

It was fitting, I guess, for the club’s newest star to play a central part in the win. With a Clonoulty mother and a Wicklow father (not a hurling stronghold, as Micheal Ó Muircheartaigh might say) he has won many admirers over the season.

Clonoulty went four-up and there was no way back for Cashel in the final moments. The King Cormacs could regard themselves as unlucky. Clonoulty goalie, Jason O’Dwyer, was another hero of the win with a string of stunning saves from the likes of Cathal Quinn and Ger Browne, Cashel’s most threatening forward.

There was only a goal between them at half-time (1-8 to 0-8) after Clonoulty played with a significant wind backing. Stephen Ferncombe got the goal with a monster free from inside his own 45, one which bounced viciously to the roof of the net.

Ferncombe finished with 2-10 of the winners’ total of 2-17; 1-7 came from frees. Jack Ryan pitched in with three points but it was a challenging day for forwards generally with lots of wides.

Cashel will feel they were close but got few breaks. They started brightly, going three-up through Devon Ryan (two) and Eoghan Connolly. Clonoulty responded well and the King Cormacs spent most time chasing a lead, albeit a modest one. They drew level in the final ten minutes but the second Ferncombe goal proved the clincher.

Amazingly, it’s 30 years since Cashel’s last West win back in 1995. That was a controversial one against Kickhams. They hardly imagined that day in Cappawhite that such a long famine was awaiting them, as they eventually lost senior status.

Still, they’re a developing side who will take time to find their feet at the top level. They were without Shane Neville and Kieran O’Dwyer on Saturday and Oisín O’Donoghue had a frustrating day. Adrian Cummins top-scored on 1-3 and the Connolly brothers contributed 0-7 between them.

They have a high-profile management set-up including Clare’s Fergie O’Loughlin and Cork’s Eoin Cadogan. It will be interesting to see how they fare in the county series.

For Clonoulty this was a ninth west title in-a-row and their 15th from 18 seasons. Such has been their dominance in the division. This win guarantees them a county preliminary quarter-final at least, something which they missed last year. It’s a fallback comfort if things go awry in the county games.

I thought their greater experience at this level carried them through the challenge. They were that bit smarter, making fewer mistakes and a shooter like Stephen Ferncombe is a great asset on any team.

The opening game at Golden saw Cappawhite prove too strong for Kickhams in an intermediate semi-final. They led by five at half- time and won by six, their brace of goals from Dara McCarthy and David Buckley proving the difference. Under 20 All-Ireland winner, Conor Martin, and Sam Carmody pitched in with five points apiece. It was a score power that Kickhams lacked.