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Cork-Tipperary reaction | Kieran Donaghy's Report Card on the key men

Kieran Donaghy's Report Card this week looks at a historic day for Tipperary football as they won...



Cork-Tipperary reaction | Kier...
Football

Cork-Tipperary reaction | Kieran Donaghy's Report Card on the key men

Kieran Donaghy's Report Card this week looks at a historic day for Tipperary football as they won their first Munster Championship since 1935.

Tipperary

Colin O'Riordan - 10/10: O'Riordan is my man of the match. The man returned from Sydney Swans and David Power has to be given great credit for seeing the bigger picture.

To win a Munster involved bringing him into a squad that has been there all year; O'Riordan is a Tipp man through-and-through.

He wants to play for his county, even with a huge opportunity to play professionally with a contract Down Under. In the first half particularly, his kick-passing was outstanding, his heads-up football was great. That is what he did all the first half.

He put in four absolutely huge tackles in the second half when Tipp really needed ball and Cork were in that three-point zone. He put in four massive catches with huge men out there. O'Riordan was massive for that Tipperary team.

For a man that hasn't played much football to come and play like that on his county's biggest day in 85 years, with the death of Michael Hogan and Bloody Sunday, was huge.

 

Mikey Quinlivan - 9/10: Just a leader all day - a complete footballer, and has been since he came onto the team at 18/19 years old.

I just knew today that he was going to come through with a performance, and he did with five points and four from play. It was his general play and his smarts.

It looked like he was going to lob the 'keeper after he got that short kick-out by Martin, it was that leadership all day.

The point just before half-time was a real stinger to Cork. Quinlivan was slipped in on the run, jinked in on his right from 45 yards out and popped over a huge score. Suddenly, Tipp were four points up and that gave them real belief.

 

Conor Sweeney - 9/10: The captain was a huge option all day at 14. He was a lesson in patience in the timing of runs to any young inside-forward.

He got a lot of difficult ball coming into him, and he won the ball when it came in. The first thing you have to do is make that ball stick.

He got seven points, led the line, and was just a general match-winner for them all day. He showed all day for ball and played the captain's role.

 

Liam Casey - 8/10: Stephen O'Brien was also brilliant, but Casey put in a massive shift. He kicked two massive points, one with his right and one with his left.

He was competing for everything in the middle of the field; tackled, tracked, and caught his fair share of possession. It was an all-round display of tackling, driving with the ball, accuracy, and chipping with a point or two. He was brilliant.

With the mustache he had - it's a Movember effort, but it made him look like a player from the 1920s, with the old jersey on!

 

Jimmy Feehan - 8/10: So strong. He came on the scene as an attacking wing-back and an in-your-face, and he might have lost a yard of pace but he has added unbelievable leadership.

Kept on his man really well and didn't give him a sniff from play. He put on a huge point for Michael Quinlivan at the end of the first half. He dived on bad hand-pass and was another huge performer.

 

Cork

Luke Connolly - 8/10: He was brilliant in the first half. He kicked everything, was calm on the ball and picking passes. Cork looked lost without him after he went off injured. That was a real sickener for Cork because he gave them great shape. He was a huge loss.

 

Ian Maguire - 8/10: He showed he has tremendous leadership in the middle of the park. He got four massive turnovers with his own tackling and getting the ball back himself, which is huge in the modern game. Just a solid outing from what you expect from Maguire.

 

Brian Hurley - 5/10: He was very quiet in the first half, showed a bit more in the second when he kicked a nice point. When Connolly was off, Cork needed him to be at his dynamic best and needed him on much more ball. We just didn't see that in the second half.

 

Matty Taylor - 5/10: Again, a quiet enough day. He is a dynamic, powerful runner and almost a spiritual leader. He was very good against Kerry driving forward, but we just didn't see that today. Cork needed guys to break the Tipperary stranglehold. We didn't see enough off the ball running.

Maurice Shanley - 4/10: He did reasonably against the best player in the country, in David Clifford, two weeks ago. But today will be a good learning curve for him because he had a tough day at the office against Tipperary. He is raw and struggled against Conor Sweeney.

There wasn't enough pressure on the passes, which is why Sweeney was able to win the ball in various areas.


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Donaghy Report Card Tipp Tipperary