TEAM NEWS: TIPPERARY HAVE named an unchanged team for Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final against five-in-a-row chasing Kilkenny. No changes had been expected after the convincing semi-final win over Waterford.
It’s likely that the team will line up more or less as it did against Waterford with Noel McGrath switching from right-corner forward to centre forward, Patrick Maher going to the left wing and John O’Brien into the full-forward line.
Compared to last year’s All-Ireland final between the counties, Liam Sheedy’s team feature three newcomers. Michael Cahill, Gearóid Ryan and Patrick Maher all come in instead of James Woodlock, who has been injured all season, Pat Kerwick and Séamus Callanan, who are named on the bench.
Coincidentally two of the above players – Kerwick and Woodlock – were replaced in last year’s final along with John O’Brien who starts again. All three of the newcomers are the latest graduates from either or both of the successful minor teams of 2006 and ’07.
The most experienced players on the team are goalkeeper Brendan Cummins, captain Eoin Kelly and Lar Corbett, all of whom both played in the county’s most recent All-Ireland win nine years ago. Panellist Paul Kelly also started the 2001 final.
This has been a long march to an All-Ireland final for Tipperary, as after the unexpected defeat by Cork in May the team had to make its way through the qualifiers. To date Liam Sheedy has used 26 players but only Pádraic Maher, last year’s All Star full back and playing this year at left-wing back, has played every minute of the championship so far.
One of the areas where Tipperary surprised Kilkenny last year was in the half forwards but on this occasion the challengers are likely to show a completely new line-up, as Ryan, Noel McGrath and Patrick Maher started there in the semi-final against Waterford.
The county will be hoping for an improvement as dramatic as the one demonstrated in last year’s final when Tipp held the initiative for most of the match before falling to late scores.
Tipperary have scored 9-95 (113) and conceded 7-80 (101) in this year’s championship, as compared with 14-70 (112) – the goals tally greatly boosted by the six scored against Limerick in the All-Ireland semi-final – to 5-64 (79) in last year’s when four matches rather than five were played.
This is the first time that the two counties have faced each other in successive All-Ireland finals. Kilkenny have successfully contested the previous four finals whereas Tipp have to go back to 1988-’89 for the last time the county featured in two in succession.
Kilkenny are due to name their side tonight with great interest focusing on the fitness of Henry Shefflin and John Tennyson, who are both recovering from cruciate injuries.
TIPPERARY (SHC v Kilkenny):B Cummins; P Stapleton, P Curran, M Cahill; D Fanning (vice-captain), C O'Mahony, Pádraic Maher; B Maher, S McGrath; G Ryan, Patrick Maher, J O'Brien; N McGrath, E Kelly (capt), L Corbett.
