The View: An intriguing battle royale in store

Losing on Sunday would be more palatable for Tipperary than it would be for Limerick.

“Anyone can deal with victory. Only the mighty can bear defeat.”

It might seem very strange to be quoting Adolf Hitler when it comes to previewing a Munster senior hurling final. But, context is everything and in the context of the battle in store in LIT Páirc na nGael on Sunday afternoon next between Tipperary and Limerick, that quote seems perfectly appropriate..... for both camps.

You see, Tipperary have already inflicted defeat on Limerick in the championship and time will tell how they have dealt with that win. The defeat will also reveal if Limerick really are the mighty side they are being touted as and if they have shouldered that defeat in a positive way.

Of course that same quote could be used when the Munster campaign has concluded as well. A Tipp victory on Sunday would result in a third championship defeat for Limerick – should they recover to retain their All-Ireland crown after three reverses, would be a great indication of their mental strength, but a huge indictment of the flaw-filled championship system.

On the other hand, were Limerick to win on Sunday they would have borne their last round defeat in a mighty fashion and it would be Tipperary's place to worry about their ability to deal with victory, and their place in the championship going forward.

You get the feeling that when all the PC sound bites have been consigned to the trash bin, there could be two very different attitudes to the Munster Final in the two camps. Limerick have never defeated Tipperary in a Munster Final in Páirc na nGael and they really want to right this. They would dearly love to hold all three crowns – All-Ireland, National League, and Munster – at the same time. And, they most certainly will not want to give best to their neighbouring guests, thereby taking three defeats to the All-Ireland quarter finals. So, winning the Munster Final is a must for Limerick and Manager John Kiely will be emphasising this point to his charges all week long.

Tipperary, the form team with a 100% championship record, would like to win their 43rd Munster senior hurling title on Sunday and march straight to the All-Ireland semi-final. They have built up a real head of steam and powered their way to the decider playing some great hurling and running up big scores. But, as of yet this year, they have not faced a challenge like they will on Sunday in Limerick. Forget the last round of the round-robin - that's irrelevant at this stage and the Limerick team is likely to be 26% different to the one which took to the field in Semple Stadium.

Limerick Manager John Kiely

John Kiely won't know until after Sunday's game, whether or not the he pulled the stroke of the championship by leaving out four key players against Tipp last time round – Cian Lynch, Gearoid Hegarty, Declan Hannon and Graeme Mulcahy will likely start on Sunday. Those additions fundamentally change the structure, the composure levels and the impact of the Limerick team. But, they also alter the way Tipperary will line-up against them, and that's the one thing which will keep Kiely, the Tipperary town based school principal guessing- it's the season of exams and Limerick will face a very stern inquisition on Sunday. Whether they can emerge with honours, only time will tell.

With the loss of the very unfortunate Patrick Maher having suffered that horrible cruciate ligament injury, and the possibility of Cathal Barrett also being ruled out with that hamstring problem, the pendulum has swung ever so slightly in the direction of Limerick. It is indeed a big ask of Tipperary to go into the lions den minus two of their most in-form warriors, slay the All-Ireland champions, and scamper back across the border with the haul of silver. But, it is not beyond them and victory would certainly not be unexpected. In fact, denying Limerick their 20th Munster title, would most certainly make Tipperary everybody's favourite to land the ultimate prize in mid August – it's still hard to get used to saying mid-August, rather than early September for the All-Ireland Final.

Losing on Sunday would be more palatable for Tipperary than it would be for Limerick. For starters, it would be their only championship reverse and considering the circumstances of the final in terms of personnel, location etc it would not bring the same level of mental torture as it would for their opponents. In saying that, nobody wants to lose and you can be certain that the Premier challenge will be as robust as ever when they grace the sod in front of the Mick Mackey Stand – there was an attempt by the Limerick County Board back in 2013 to have the Munster senior cup named after Mackey, that great Limerick hero. It failed when put to a vote, and since Limerick won their last Munster title in 2013, it would have seemed as though the stars had aligned as they would have been the first county to accept the Mick Mackey Cup. But, it didn't happen and the cup remains nameless, but no less sought after nonetheless.

Liam Sheedy is on record as stating how invaluable he regards the provincial silverware. Remember, his side failed to win it in 2010 when he guided Tipp to the All-Ireland title. So, he probably has a personal itch to scratch in this regard – he would dearly love to win the Munster and All-Ireland titles in the same season. That said, things have certainly changed since the last time he graced the managerial stage and he has had to embrace those changes – outside of Tipperary in 2016, the Munster Final winner has not won the All-Ireland Final in the same year since Cork in 2005, fourteen years ago. Tipp also won the All-Ireland and provincial crowns in 2001 in a very different style of championship.

Tipperary have seven Munster titles won so far in the second millennium (2001, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016) whereas Limerick have just one (2013). That should point to greater hunger from a Limerick perspective but it also points a greater knowhow from a Premier County viewpoint.

Sarsfields had it all to do against the Church and were 1-5 to 0-3 down after 12 minutes when Loughlin Ryan nipped in for a goal. However, by the break, the defending champions were back on terms at 0-11 to 1-8 and were forced to work really hard in the second half to make any headway - Ronan Mahers scores helping greatly until corner forward Conor Stakelum bagged 32nd minute goal to seal the victory, having been put through by Stephen Cahill.

Tipperary attacker Noel McGrath

However, Cian Lynch has been the catalyst for Limerick during their good times and his inclusion at midfield could be the big game changer. He brings a different dynamic entirely to Limerick and he will have to be picked up, either directly by the Noel McGrath/Michael Breen Tipperary pairing in the engineroom, or by half backs dropping back to offer cover – Dan McCormack/Niall O'Meara perhaps?

Getting the match-up's right has been a feature of Tipperary's success to date – they will have to be spot on again on Sunday. Success won't necessarily come from breakthrough innovation but from flawless execution. A great strategy alone won't win a game or a battle - the win ultimately comes from basic blocking and tackling, hard work, application of the skillset under the more intense of scrutiny. And, scoring more than the opposition.

Achieve these and Tipp will move to within eleven titles of Munster front runners Cork who currently have 54. Fall down on any one of these elements and it will be Limerick's first Munster Final win over Tipp on their own turf.

It really will be an intriguing battle royale.