Tyrrell anticipating huge 'battle of wills'

Kilkenny defender Jackie Tyrrell admits he tends to switch off at the mention of tactics in hurling. Unlike football, he believes the small ball game hasn’t been taken over by the statisticians and tacticians just yet. And that’s the way he’d like it to stay.

However, while watching Sunday’s All-Ireland final opponents, Tipperary, in action in their semi-final win over Waterford, the James Stephens man couldn’t help but notice the clever rotation policy the Premier County forwards have adopted. Tyrrell, who has been in brilliant form at corner back this year, might expect to mark any of three Tipperary forwards – Lar Corbett, Eoin Kelly or Noel McGrath - at some stage of the match on Sunday.

“In today’s game you have to be familiar with who you will possibly be marking – what hand they strike off, what they do. You would be watching these things and you have to be on top of them. If something happens on the day, you have to be ready for it,” he says.

Not one for trawling through videos of opponents, the 29-year-old admits he might have to dig out the footage when informed that the Tipp inside forwards scored 3-13 from play against the Déise.

“I didn’t know that now, I might have to watch the video again!,” he adds.

“They did score a lot of scores and they were rotating. They won’t stay in their own positions and Noel McGrath was all over the place, throwing balls over the bar.

“It was hard for ‘Brick’ Walsh (Michael Walsh, the Waterford centre-back), he was holding the centre doing his job but if you give any of them room they can all score. It’s stuff we have to look at.

“We just have to try and tighten it up, keep it tight at the back and keep our half-back line and midfield back and cut out the supply going to these lads. But they are going to do the same at the other end so it is going to be intriguing, this tactical battle.

“We both have very similar teams, the way we play, so it is nearly a battle of wills really.”

On the subject of tactics, Tyrrell, who has won two Kilkenny Senior Football Championship medals with his Club, hopes hurling does not follow the trend in the big ball code in recent years, when tactics have tended to dominate the game.

“Hurling is just a game of hurling, going out and playing and that’s what it’s all about,” he says. “I’d rather not get bogged down in it, that’s for other lads that sit in the stand and do the stats and all that.

He adds: “Football really is a tactical game. It’s 12, 13 lads behind the ball, just working so hard. I suppose that it intriguing too but I wouldn’t like that to come into hurling.”

Looking ahead to Sunday and the prospect of entering the annals of GAA history by winning a fifth successive All-Ireland title, Tyrrell concedes that Tipperary have a massive incentive to wreck the Cats’ dream this year, having come so close to beating them in last year’s decider.

“They want an All-Ireland just as much as anyone,” he continues. “Everyone is talking about the five-in-a-row, but talking to some people there was more talk about Séamus Darby than Kerry’s four-in-a-row. He became a national hero and Tipperary are probably thinking the same way as well. It’s going to be a huge battle and I’m looking forward to it.”

Tyrrell already has five Celtic Crosses in his possession, but Tipperary have just three players in their squad who have achieved a single All-Ireland success in 2001, Lar Corbett, Eoin Kelly and Brendan Cummins.

Between them, their anticipated full-back line of Tyrrell (5), Noel Hickey (7) and John Dalton (4), Kilkenny have a remarkable 16 All-Ireland medals, with the advantage in terms of experience undeniably with Brian Cody’s men.

However, Tyrrell says the experience of last year’s defeat will stand to Tipperary this week, in the build-up to Sunday’s hugely-anticipated clash.

“The last week of the final you are still trying to get the head right and just building yourself up psychologically.

“We are lucky enough, we have had a few finals and we know what it is all about. Tipperary experienced that last year so they are probably in a better place for it. It’s just about getting through it and getting on with it.”