AISF Aug 23rd Tyrone v Cork

[redhugh]

We all know that Cork are a very physically strong team, but as the hype for this game snowballs , will they prove to be mentally strong enough to keep it together in the last 10 mins.I think that if Tyrone are still in the game in the latter stages (which I'm sure they will be) it will be their cool heads that will see them through. Tyrone by 3.

[Frank Casey]

The Corkman (www.corkman.ie) is the sister paper of the Kerryman and is just an (im)partial.

No reason for Rebels to fear
By Noel Horgan


Thursday August 20 2009

THERE'S little or no reason why Cork should be intimidated by the task of taking on Tyrone in next Sunday's All-Ireland senior football semi-final. True, Tyrone are the reigning champions, and they have got their hands on Sam three times since 2003.

They are also bidding to move a step closer towards completing their first ever two-in-a-row and matching Kerry's haul of four titles in the current decade. That provides them with serious motivation, all the more so since, given that they have an unblemished record in three championship meetings with Kerry over the past six years, it would dispel all arguments regarding their right to be rated as the most compelling team in the modern era were they to reach the summit again this year.

It's an opportunity they won't allow to slip away lightly, and the massive intensity, which has become their trademark, is sure to be evident in their performance again as they attempt to extend their unbeaten run in AllIreland semi finals to four games under Mickey Harte's stewardship. They haven't lost a final either, so it's obvious that the further they progress in the championship, the more difficult it is to bring a halt to their gallop.

But, for all that, it would be fair to say that they aren't an invincible outfit, and they could be vulnerable against a Cork team which has already done much to confirm pre-season speculation that AllIreland success is a realistic aspiration. There is no denying that Cork have endured more than their share of disappointment in the All-Ireland series recently.

In four semi-final appearances since 2005, they have delivered the goods just once against Meath in 2007. They were humiliated by Kerry in the showpiece that year, and they likewise slumped badly against the Kingdom at the penultimate stage in 2005 and 2006. It seemed as they were destined to endure another harrowing experience in last year's semi-final when they scarcely raised a gallop and found themselves trailing by eight points with time rapidly running out.

But they grabbed a couple of late goals to salvage an unlikely draw, and they came within an ace of winning the replay, pulling back another hefty deficit before being caught by a sucker-punch at the death in the form of a Colm Cooper goal. In contrast to the drawn match, there was nothing freakish about Cork's comeback in the replay, as they were the dominant side in the last quarter, and, having earlier relieved Kerry of the Munster title, it was generally accepted they were a tad unlucky not to have put them to the sword for the second time in 2008.

In pushing Kerry to the limit for the first time in a major game at Croke Park, however, it was felt that Cork had got a huge monkey off their back, hence the reason for the increase in expectation levels on Leeside heading into this year's championship. Little has happened in the meantime to diminish the mood of optimism as Cork have achieved all their targets so far, winning the Division 2 league title and retaining the Munster crown after comfortably accounting for Kerry in a semi-final replay.

They almost came a cropper in the Munster final, but they may have been guilty of underestimating Limerick, and their fortuitous victory was probably just what the doctor ordered in that complacency was never going to come into the equation when they squared up to Donegal in the All-Ireland quarter final.

Spurred on by a desire to atone for their unconvincing display against Limerick, Cork proceeded to do a thorough demolition-job on Donegal, who were possibly feeling the affects of a demanding schedule, which saw them involved in four consecutive games in the qualifiers in the preceding four weeks. As selector Terry O'Neill remarked afterwards, however, Cork, irrespective of how inept Donegal were, needed to perform to secure their semi final ticket, and they did so in a manner which has surely enhanced their rating as genuine All-Ireland contenders.

Taking on Tyrone is obviously going to be a much stiffer challenge, but, as I've said, there is no reason why Cork should be overawed by it. They will have no psychological barrier to overcome since they haven't previously encountered Mickey Harte's men in the championship. And they are bound to draw some encouragement from the fact that Tyrone were put to the pin off their collar to come through their quarter final game against Kildare.

If Kildare were in the opposite corner on Sunday, it's more than likely that Cork would be installed as favourites, and perhaps it's worth noting as well that Tyrone haven't gone through an entire championship campaign unbeaten since 2003. They came through the backdoor to win the All-Ireland in 2005 and 2008, and the teams that have dumped them out of the title race within the past five years are Mayo, in 2004, Laois, in 2006, and Meath, in 2007, with Donegal, Armagh, Derry and Down denying them provincial honours in ' 04, ' 05, '06 and ' 08 respectively. That Cork can add their name to Tyrone's list of conquerors on Sunday is hardly beyond the bounds of possibility.

It goes without saying that the Rebels' credentials will be tested to the hilt by a team containing such experienced and accomplished footballers as Conor Gormley, Ryan McMenamin, Philip Jordan, Kevin Hughes, Sean Cavanagh, Brian Dooher, Brian McGuigan, Owen Mulligan and Stephen O'Neill, all of whom were involved when Tyrone made the historic breakthrough in 2003.But there are solid grounds to conclude that Cork will be going in with a stronger hand than that which they held for any of their previous four semi final outings. Conor Counihan and his co-selectors have left no stone unturned in their efforts to bolster the squad over the past 12 months. And, assuming that Anthony Lynch is fit to return at corner-back following the injury which ruled him out of the quarter final, the starting fifteen on Sunday will include just nine players – Lynch, Alan Quirke, Graham Canty, John Miskella, Noel O'Leary, Nicholas Murphy, Pearse O'Neill, Donncha O'Connor and Daniel Goulding – who lined out in the replay against Kerry in 2008.

It's a sizeable turnover in such a short space of time, but, as Counihan pointed out at the Cork press night recently, the quality of the players on the bench could turn out to be a key factor in determining the outcome. It's a fair bet that Mickey Harte will have laid plans to stymie the running game which saw Cork prosper in the quarter final.

Just how successful they are, and how Cork adapt if forced into a change of style will be crucial, as will how first-season regulars in attack such as Paul Kerrigan, Patrick Kelly and Colm O'Neill measure up on a Croke Park pitch that is going to appear a lot less spacious than it did when they sparkled there against Donegal.

It's going to be fascinating contest, but, providing they can match Tyrone's aggression, there is every chance that Cork will prevail.

[Over the Bar]

Anyone going by train from the North can forget it.  The line has subsided at malahide and they are bussing enterprise passengers only

[red hander]

f**k sake, that's a pain in the hole ... just heard that

[Mr. Nakata]

Is the naming of McMahon at 6 a sign of weakness or simply mind games?. I can't understand it. Why not keep the defense 1-7 as is and move him out if required. It's been well documented all week that him and O'Neill became buddies while rooming out in Oz. I suppose for the last 2 years since Ricey's mauling against Meath, Gormley always moves back and Ricey always moves up, however this time he'd be up against a guy who's 6'5. Does this mean Ricey will stay in the corner? Don't think so. I can still see Justy and Gormley patrolling the square.

[sandwiches_in_the_boot]

I know we need to talk about something, but what's all the speculation over the Tyrone's positional changes, don't you listen to the commentators/pundits/columnists... that "positions mean so little nowadays ... and ... Tyrone's ability to play anywhere on the field.." (among some of the most abused phrases) 

As for Cussen, no harm but seen him a couple of times at Croker this year and last and have been struck by the laziness of his work ethic. Just watch him off the ball and then watch Cavanagh. Used to rate him watching on TV. Not too worried about him at all.

I have the same feeling I had before last years AI and can see us exposing the Cork FB line and nullifying their FF line. This will be a game of halfs... Half forwards and half backs which MH has recognised by dropping Justy and Sean in there.

[Lamh Dhearg Alba]

I know we need to talk about something, but what's all the speculation over the Tyrone's positional changes, don't you listen to the commentators/pundits/columnists... that "positions mean so little nowadays ... and ... Tyrone's ability to play anywhere on the field.." (among some of the most abused phrases) 

Quite surprised by that talk myself. A fit McGinley was always likely to come back into the team and with Penrose playing so well Tommy was the most likely to drop to the bench. No surprise there. As for Justy and Block swapping numbers its no big deal, the Tyrone defenders often switch positions during matches and the numbers on their backs are pretty irrelevant.

[020304 Tir Eoghain]

I know we need to talk about something, but what's all the speculation over the Tyrone's positional changes, don't you listen to the commentators/pundits/columnists... that "positions mean so little nowadays ... and ... Tyrone's ability to play anywhere on the field.." (among some of the most abused phrases) 

Quite surprised by that talk myself. A fit McGinley was always likely to come back into the team and with Penrose playing so well Tommy was the most likely to drop to the bench. No surprise there. As for Justy and Block swapping numbers its no big deal, the Tyrone defenders often switch positions during matches and the numbers on their backs are pretty irrelevant.

Just another way of trying to keep the Cork half backs on the back foot really.

[Mike Sheehy]

I know we need to talk about something, but what's all the speculation over the Tyrone's positional changes, don't you listen to the commentators/pundits/columnists... that "positions mean so little nowadays ... and ... Tyrone's ability to play anywhere on the field.." (among some of the most abused phrases) 

Quite surprised by that talk myself. A fit McGinley was always likely to come back into the team and with Penrose playing so well Tommy was the most likely to drop to the bench. No surprise there. As for Justy and Block swapping numbers its no big deal, the Tyrone defenders often switch positions during matches and the numbers on their backs are pretty irrelevant.

Just another way of trying to keep the Cork half backs on the back foot really.

you know 020304 tir Eoghan...you havent been on this board long yet you suffer from that innnate, and unjustifed, Tymoan arrogance. A little more humbleness wouldnt go amiss. Those Cork half backs might cause you more trouble than you think on Sunday.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Those Cork half backs might cause you more trouble than you think on Sunday.

Yes, they might 

From today's Irish Times:

Tyrone's success built on solid Block

ALL-IRELAND SFC SEMI-FINAL CORK v TYRONE: KEITH DUGGAN on how Tyrone's Conor Gormley excels in the task of prevention, of shutting down the brightest lights in Gaelic football

IT IS part of the Tyrone mythology now. In the last frantic minutes of the 2003 All-Ireland final when the reigning champions Armagh were pressing hard on their fiercest rivals, Conor Gormley seemed to materialise from nowhere to prevent Armagh's Steven McDonnell from delivering one of the late, killer reprieves that were then the Armagh speciality.

At the other end of the field, Owen Mulligan would recall believing that it had to be a goal as soon as Tony McEntee supplied the pass to McDonnell because he knew that the number 13 did not miss, not from that range. He waited to hear the cheers and to see the scoreboard change from 0-11 to 0-8 to 0-11 to 1-8. "I had to look at the giant screen to see what had happened."

It was, unquestionably, the moment that saved the day for Tyrone. Minutes later, they became All-Ireland senior champions for the first time and began in earnest a remarkable journey of triumph punctuated by setback and genuine sorrow, one that has not ended yet.

BUT FROM TIME to time the thought flits across all Tyrone minds. What if Gormley had not made that block? What if Armagh had levelled with a few minutes to go? Because in that instance, that Tyrone team were not yet the side they subsequently would become, the side who have become the chief tormentors of Kingdom football, the side who all other modern teams want to emulate.

Nothing was written in stone. When McDonnell took possession of the ball and set about doing what came most naturally to him – swivelling on his pivot shot, eyeing his target, falling calm and trusting his technique and his judgment and practice to steer the ball home – Tyrone had never won an All-Ireland. Many of these players had been swept aside by Eamonn O'Hara's tour-de-force in a Sligo shirt the previous summer. Doubt, at some level, lingered. For all their underage success, Tyrone's narrative at senior All-Ireland level was one of disappointment, sometimes close and crushing, sometimes just crushing. But it was about falling short.

So if Armagh, the wilful and imperious All-Ireland champions had broken Tyrone with a goal then, would the Red Hand men have been able to locate the necessary steel and poise to prevent Armagh pushing on? Armagh, at that point, were regarded as the model county, the team whose belief and endurance surpassed all others. Tyrone were the coming team, all right, but they had yet to bridge that huge, psychological gap between never having won the senior All-Ireland and having done so. It does not stretch the truth to suggest the Carrickmore man's deployment of the most fundamental and under-rated defensive skill made the bridge safe for his team-mates to cross. It is not an exaggeration to suggest that had Gormley not been there, everything could have been different.

"It was just an incredible block," praised the late Cormac McAnallen, the full back that day. "It was one of those heroic moments. McDonnell didn't miss. Cormac just came from nowhere."

THE CARRICKMORE GAA grounds is among the most evocative in the country, nestled in the lows of the greater Omagh countryside, with the decorative Nally Stand taking pride of place. Upstairs in the club house – a tearoom rather than a bar – hangs a large oil painting of Conor Gormley, wearing the green, white and gold of the club rather than the county. Such a studied tribute could seem contradictory given the player himself has always been no-nonsense and low key in his approach to games, a footballer who deflects attention away. But for whatever reasons, it does not look grandiose or inappropriate; rather, it is an honest representation of how Gormley is regarded in his own club.

"He is, first and foremost, a Carrickmore man," acknowledges Tony Donnelly, the Tyrone selector and Mickey Harte's sideline confidante. "This is someone who leads the club team on the field, he normally plays midfield for them and has achieved what he has achieved with Tyrone and who has managed the under-16 team for the past couple of years.

"They really acknowledge his achievement and his contribution. He was reared there and lives there still. Sometimes the prophet is not recognised in his own land but Conor is. His whole attitude has always been to just get on with it. That is how he approaches his game: he goes out and tries to lead by example. He is quiet and he is unassuming and when he does speak, because he doesn't rant the whole time, there is a depth to what he says."

Donnelly confirms Gormley's intervention in that first All-Ireland final was regarded by Tyrone people as little short of divine. Shortly afterwards, he was nicknamed "The Block", although Gormley's character seems somehow resistant to the burden of having pundits and radiomen referring to him by anything other than his real name. A half-back in 2003, Gormley's role in the Tyrone defence has since grown in both strategic importance and presence.

One of the interesting things about the Tyrone team is it is choc-a-block with disparate personalities. There is room for the terrier-like devilment and abrasiveness of Ryan McMenamin and the school-prefect demeanour of Seán Cavanagh. The blond and animated Owen Mulligan blends in perfectly with the diffident genius of Stephen O'Neill. Brian Dooher's place in Gaelic football lore has already been cemented – the bionic man, one of the greats.

All of these players command attention. Gormley is frequently a less vivid presence but he is always in the background, always putting out fires with the minimal of fuss, sorting out rows, settling issues. He has quietly become the player without whom it is difficult to imagine this Tyrone team.

"Yeah, the unsung hero," says Liam Bradley, whose Antrim team met Tyrone in the Ulster final in July. "He doesn't hog the limelight and he is probably Tyrone's most consistent player in that whether it is the McKenna Cup or the championship, he is out there doing his thing. They can play him anywhere, really, in the back division and even in midfield. He is a hard, robust kind of player and he reads the game very well. He might just lack that half yard of pace and that is why he has come to play the more central roles in defence.

"We knew he would probably pick up one of our stronger players, like Michael McCann in the Ulster final and he is suited to those kind of forwards. I would expect to see him on one of Cork's big men this weekend, maybe Pearse O'Neill. But he is the kind of player that anyone would want on their team. People used to talk about Francie Bellew's understated importance to Armagh and I think the same is true with Tyrone and Conor Gormley."

ARMAGH FOOTBALL people must have bemoaned Bellew's absence from the back three in early summer when Gormley himself drifted behind the full-back line and rattled home a rare goal that pushed the match incontrovertibly in Tyrone's favour. He even managed to strip all glory from that cameo, head down as he moved back up field, a study in stoicism. Like all of the Tyrone players, he is assured on the ball and he does take the opportunity to break forward but it is the task of prevention, of shutting down the brightest lights in Gaelic football that he takes most seriously. He is not particularly tall, at 5ft 10ins and he generally wears an inscrutable expression on the football field and pretty much every referee in the country knows his innocent-schoolboy look by now.

Two years ago, when Meath and Tyrone met in the All-Ireland quarter-final, the decision was made to send Gormley over to shadow Stephen Bray, who had kicked three wonderful points and was showing for every ball, threatening to go to town. The duel that followed was a riveting aside to the match – which Meath won. It was as though Gormley and Bray had been fused into one, so tough and embittered were their battles for possession. Bray won his fair share but other times it seemed as if the Meath man had the ball and then Gormley closed in and somehow, by some sleight of hand, he came away with possession. Bray did not score again in the match.

"The greater need was there so Conor was switched over," Donnelly acknowledges. "And it is true a lot of times, he is the go-to man if a forward is causing problems. He is prepared to do whatever, he doesn't feel he has to have this central role the whole time. He played a totally different game this year against Derry covering the space in front of the two Bradleys and he snuffed out the threat there. He is a very intelligent player."

Chris Lawn has spoken of his introduction to the last 20 minutes of the All-Ireland final of 2005. Lawn was a veteran of the hot season of 1995 when Tyrone lost narrowly in the All-Ireland final against Dublin. He owed nothing to the Red Hand cause and he has known plenty of bad days as well and placing him in the middle of a game of that magnitude was another show of faith by Mickey Harte. As the first ball fell from the sky towards Lawn, he heard someone say, "Attack it, attack it Chris. I'm covering your back." It was Gormley. Lawn went for the ball, claimed it and went on to have a storming last 20 minutes.

"That is the kind of communicator Conor is," Donnelly says. "He manages things around him and keeps players right and a lot of it goes unnoticed."

GORMLEY IS NOT above off-days – he spent a notably uncomfortable hour last summer chasing Mayo's Conor Mortimer around Croke Park. Mortimer seemed to have the pace and guile to wasp in and around Gormley's vicinity without once getting swatted. "In the early part of the game, in particular, that was happening," agrees Donnelly. "But I do think Conor came to grips. Also, Conor Mortimer is a very good forward and he was getting excellent supply in that first half. Things were happening further down the field that were causing that. But Conor is prepared to recognise there will be times when forwards will cause problems and he just keeps at it."

The traditional term for a defender like Gormley would be along the lines of "an enforcer". But what the Carrickmore man does for Tyrone is much more subtle and darker than that. Often, he is the point at which an opposition attack reaches the end of the line. Promising moves cease to be. One of the most familiar sights of this modern Tyrone team is of Gormley calmly emerging from a tangle of footballers with the ball, deliberating his next pass and often wearing the hang-dog expression, as if he privately regretted he could not allow the forwards to have their fun.

Flash back to that Sunday afternoon in September, 2003, when Tyrone had toppled Armagh and much more besides. Because of Tyrone's history – political and sporting – that team had shifted much more beside. And it was not the prettiest of games. It revealed nothing of the intricacies and marvels that lay in their future All-Ireland wins. It was a low-scoring, nervous match on an All-Ireland final day that had never been so intensely local. Again and again, dressingroom conversation turned to that block. Eventually, Gormley was asked about it.

"I just had to get back in there," he said. "That's my job. I can't really recall it. You don't get a chance to think about it. But I got up and the ball was still there, Tony McEntee got it back across but we scrambled it across the line. Tough going."

Since then, Gormley has won two more All-Ireland medals and two more All-Stars. Nothing he has done in those seasons has matched that block in terms of fame and electric drama. Instead, he has done the small, important things again and again. It was as if he used up his quotient for drama in that one act. But it was enough. It won't be forgotten.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

And another from today's Irish Times:

Tyrone to profit from relentless pressing

SEÁN MORAN

Cork v Tyrone: THE MOST eagerly-awaited of this year's senior All-Ireland semi-finals brings together the two sides that have showed the most consistent form all summer. There is also the sense of uncertainty brought about by the teams' different styles and the fact they have no recent championship history.

Cork's fortified credentials are based on the team's greater apparent resilience over the past two seasons and the manner in which Conor Counihan has blended his own team from up-and-coming talent allied to the imposing physique of some more experienced practitioners.

Most commonly the team is noted for its size and pace. These are both important weapons against Tyrone who don't have a conventionally big centrefield and will be vulnerable in the air.

Of course what happens when the high ball is won? In their best matches, Cork have used possession to fuel high-octane attacks from the half-backs. Limerick disrupted this but their manager Mickey Ned O'Sullivan's theory that Cork would be vulnerable in that match because of the impossibility of playing at the pace they did against Kerry on a sustained basis was proved correct.

In the event the Munster champions escaped.

The trouble against Tyrone is that winning the ball is all too possible, as Kerry know, but using it constructively is an entirely different matter. Cork may rule the air but they can't assume that they will control the breaks as well.

Kildare flourished in the quarter-final by anticipating this and getting Dermot Earley to flick possession to a team-mate when his landing strip looked too crowded. In the end the challengers hadn't sufficient firepower to exploit the success of the tactic.

Seán Cavanagh has been returned to the attack with Enda McGinley back at centrefield. This brings him face-to-face with his Ireland vice-captain Graham Canty, who will test him defensively as well as marking tightly but he's too much of an orchestrator to implement the in-your-face style that can disrupt Cavanagh.

It's hard to imagine that Canty and John Miskella will get to make their searing breaks with the sort of facility that Donegal – or even Kerry in the replay – permitted but they are mobile and not afraid of contact.

Tyrone make one major concession to the perceived needs of the match by moving Justin McMahon out to centre back in order to counter the height and ball winning of Pearse O'Neill for whom the Cork centrefield frequently part to allow kick-outs be directed straight down on the opposition 40.

McMahon won't have any positional difficulty but committing Conor Gormley to full back removes him as a sweeper, a role that has been important to the team.

Cork have scored well throughout the championship but can become frustrated if the match fails to flow for them. Michael Cussen on the bench could yet test the Ulster champions under quick, high ball in a manner that Kerry proved unable to do last year but the likelihood is that Tyrone's work-rate and relentless pressing will ultimately squeeze the life out of formidable opponents.

CORK: A Quirke; R Carey, M Shields, A Lynch; N O'Leary, G Canty, J Miskella; A O'Connor, N Murphy; P Kerrigan, P O'Neill, P Kelly; D Goulding, C O'Neill, D O'Connor.

TYRONE: P McConnell; PJ Quinn, C Gormley, R McMenamin; D Harte, Justin McMahon, P Jordan; K Hughes, E McGinley; B Dooher, S Cavanagh, Joe McMahon; M Penrose, S O'Neill, O Mulligan.

Referee: John Bannon (Longford).

In the last episode: The counties have no championship history to speak of. Most recently – all of 36 years ago – Cork, on the way to winning the All-Ireland, won easily by 5-10 to 2-4.

You bet: Tyrone are clear favourites at 7/10 with Cork at 8/5. The draw is 15/2. Not much happening on the handicap with Cork (+1) 11/10 and Tyrone (-1) 10/11.

On your marks: Cork's best displays have involved using their half-back line as a platform for attack. This requires clear superiority in the central diamond. Against Kerry and Donegal that was delivered but Limerick's centrefield spoiled the party and Cork struggled. Tyrone don't have the aerial power of O'Donovan and Galvin but their ground game is peerless.

Gaining ground: Although Cork are no strangers to Croke Park, they don't have the same positive experiences of the venue as do their opponents, who haven't lost an All-Ireland semi-final since the defeat by Meath 13 years ago. Cork could counter that they haven't lost a semi-final here to anyone except Kerry for 14 years. But that's still a lot of semi-finals.

Just the ticket: Stand €45 with concessionary refund available for students and senior citizens in the Cusack and Davin. Hill 16 terrace, €30. Accompanied juveniles, €5 in sections of the Cusack and Davin.

Crystal gazing: No one doubts Cork's potential to menace Tyrone but realising such potential has never been straightforward for teams. Weather and conditions are expected to assist the claustrophobic game plan that the Ulster champions will deploy, giving them the edge.

[Zulu]

Having flip flopped all week about the likely winner I've done so again and I'm leaning towards Cork now. Why? Well Tyrone, despite their ability have been beaten by some fairly average teams over the past few years, none moreso than Down last year. Cork aren't an average team and their pace and size will pose problems, can Tyrone deal with a team that has blown away Monaghan and Donegal in it's last two visits to CP? McGinley could find the pace tough going after the layoff and Cork have scorers all over the field can they all be contained? You could make a good argument for either team but I feel if Cork deliver, we know Tyrone will, they'll win. Now I'll be back in an hour to tell ye why I think Tyrone will win!

[INDIANA]

Having flip flopped all week about the likely winner I've done so again and I'm leaning towards Cork now. Why? Well Tyrone, despite their ability have been beaten by some fairly average teams over the past few years, none moreso than Down last year. Cork aren't an average team and their pace and size will pose problems, can Tyrone deal with a team that has blown away Monaghan and Donegal in it's last two visits to CP? McGinley could find the pace tough going after the layoff and Cork have scorers all over the field can they all be contained? You could make a good argument for either team but I feel if Cork deliver, we know Tyrone will, they'll win. Now I'll be back in an hour to tell ye why I think Tyrone will win!

How many all-irelands have cork won?

How many big games in Croker have Cork won?

Match ups 1-15. Tyrone ahead in about 5 more positions than Cork


Tyrone for me- by 3-4points. Can't see all this optimism regarding Cork. They are playing the 3 time all-ireland champions tomorrow- not the boy scouts.

[Zapatista]

How many all-irelands have cork won?

How many big games in Croker have Cork won?

Ye got to start somewhere. Tyronoe won their first ever AI by defeating the defending Champions. What goes around....

[Zulu]

And AI champions are never beaten?

How many all-irelands have cork won?

As irrelevant a question as has ever been asked, how many did Tyrone win pre-2003 or Armagh pre-2002, how about Derry pre-1993, Donegal (92), Down (91), Galway (98), Meath (87), Cork (89)?

How many big games in Croker have Cork won?

What defines a big game? They have a pretty good recent record in CP outside of their meetings with Kerry and the two most recent of those were a draw and narrow loss so that isn't bad.

Match ups 1-15. Tyrone ahead in about 5 more positions than Cork

With respect that's opinion not fact.

Can't see all this optimism regarding Cork.

They have 6 new starters from last years semi final and have contested 3 of the last 4 U21 AI finals, winning two. So it is safe to say they have talent coming through, nobody will be surprised if Tyrone win but Cork have a better chance of breaking the recent duoploly than any team since Armagh 2005.