Brian Whelahan Hurling Analyst
The occasion of an All-Ireland final is as much a factor as the opposition.
The whole county goes into celebratory mood as soon as the semi-final ends and the pressure that follows is a whole new experience. I remember waking up the morning of the 1995 All-Ireland final. All I wanted to be thinking about was my marker. I needed to stay in a mean frame of mind. I received a call about tickets.
Even this week, people I don't even know were ringing me, just taking a chance. I suppose the ticket frenzy shows what it means to the real hurling people. An All-Ireland final is tough on your family as they become like a secretary service for a couple of weeks. The crowds in training can be suffocating. You find yourself signing autographs for an hour after training - because no GAA player will walk away from a young child with a pen and paper.
That is the beauty of our game, but it is tough on the lads as well. It can take the edge away. I know players who have said the whole occasion just passed them by. It happens. The build-up seems never ending, especially when all you want to do is play. It's great to be part of it, but you only savour it afterwards. And only if you win. It's gut-wrenching to return home and appear in front of 15,000-odd people who want to thank you for your efforts.
Last Wednesday's Ireland versus France international had a similar sense of occasion to it. But these professional soccer players only had three or four days under the microscope. GAA players have to endure a longer, more intense build-up and they are not shielded away in a hotel. The All-Ireland final has become an even bigger monster in recent times, what with the increased sponsorship and more widespread media analysis.
For most of the Galway players there is no way of preparing them for this past week. The Cork boys have at least undergone this pressure cooker environment on two previous occasions. Also, they are a very professional and unified outfit since the 2002 players' strike. Conor Hayes is highly organised as well, but Seán Óg Ó hAilpín has serious lieutenants like Donal Óg Cusack and Brian Corcoran in the ranks.
That is just one reason I would edge towards Cork retaining their title. They also have a tighter defence than Kilkenny, who ultimately were unable to fill the gap left by Noel Hickey, which Galway duly exploited. Ronan Curran has been an Achilles heel this season and has to prove he is still a huge force to be reckoned with. If not, there is always the option of launching Wayne Sherlock from the bench and moving John Gardiner to centre back. To hurt this famed half-back line, Galway must get lightning-fast ball to the inside line and make them turn.
Revenge is also on the menu as Cork are still hurting from the nine-point beating from Galway in 2002. This led indirectly to the strike and their eventual return to the top of the hurling tree.
Galway have been the breath of fresh air the championship desperately needed. The manner in which they have grabbed games by the scruff of the neck - trailing by six points against Tipperary and then recovering from an early Kilkenny blitz - has been admirable. Hurling needed one team to ruffle the feathers of the big two, and almost got two only for Clare's agonising collapse. The championship has recovered owing to several special games.
The Leinster final was magnificent stuff, even if Wexford folded thereafter, and the two Cork and Waterford matches had flashes of excellence, but it is Galway who saved hurling from the further monotony of the Cork/Kilkenny duopoly.
This is a direct result of their preparation. Last year they played Down before being slaughtered by Kilkenny in Thurles. This year they had the group stages, especially the match against Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds, to prepare for the road ahead. Every intercounty panel will take heart from a Galway victory tomorrow.
Cork are not as sharp as last year and they almost paid the price against Clare. Galway may not be as physical a unit as the Banner men, but they have fierce pace and with Kevin Broderick on the bench there is depth in the panel. Neil Ronan doing to Brian Lohan what Corcoran could not when introduced in the semi-finals gives John Allen a similar ace in reserve.
I believe Cork's best hurling will come out and they will remind people of what they did to Kilkenny in the second half of last year's final. The Clare match was the wake-up call. Now I think they will ram home their superiority.
