From the start or the bench, Noel McGrath looks set to make a record-breaking 74th championship appearance for Tipperary against Cork – and his presence will be crucial to their hopes.
Noel McGrath will play against Cork for the 14th time in championship hurling this afternoon, the joint-most of any team he’s faced in what will be a record 74th appearance for Tipperary.
As he moves ahead of the great Brendan Cummins, the question is will Liam Cahill opt to start the 34-year-old against last year’s beaten All-Ireland finalists or will he break the record from the bench?
Named number 22, as he was against reigning provincial champions Limerick in their opening round draw, McGrath has started in every one of his championship encounters against Cork so far – stretching back to 2009 when he scored three points on Seán Ó hAilpín in his championship debut in a Munster quarter-final victory.
In total he’s scored 2-41 in those matches with an average of just under 0-04 per game. Meaning he’s scored more against Cork in championship hurling than any other county, he also has a better scoring average against them then anyone else, as well as facing them more often than any team other than Limerick who he’s also faced on 14 occasions. A fitting opposition then for him to make his record appearance against.
The Loughmore-Castleiney forward came into the action with 28 minutes left on the clock against Limerick last weekend in Thurles. The hosts lost their three-point half-time lead and were under the cosh amid Limerick’s famous third-quarter surge.
McGrath enjoyed 22 involvements in the remaining 11 and a half minutes during which the ball was in play meaning the four-time Munster title winner was involved in the action more than once a minute after coming on.
With the 2009 Young Hurler of the Year providing the required leadership, determination, and decision-making ability, Tipperary regained momentum and came away with a point following a battling performance.
While his brother (John) provided the two crucial goals, Noel came on to score a brilliant point from a tight angle out by the left sideline, as well as assisting another point for Seamus Kennedy upon his return from a cruciate ligament injury.
His final involvement saw him contesting the breaks ferociously in a right corner-back position while his point, upon his second possession, came in a left corner-forward position. He really was everywhere at a stage in the game when his team and county really needed him.
For a Tipperary team who, much like in their disappointing league final defeat to Cork, could not consistently retain their own long puckout or long passes – McGrath proved a well-needed outlet. He was under five long puckouts and either gathered possession or flicked the ball on to a team-mate for four of those. With Tipp losing the breaks under the other contest.
However, while McGrath provided much needed help in this department, it was Tipperary’s ability to play the ball through Limerick with short passes which proved most profitable. Tipp’s half-forward line continually worked their way back into their own half of the field, meaning when they did go long they often had neither the personnel nor the number of bodies to compete.
With bodies aplenty around the middle though Tipperary had over 30 turnovers and 11 of them came from their forwards. Of their 25 scores against John Kiely’s team, a total of 1-12 came following a turnover of opposition possession. As they struggle to create from their own puckout or possession, these turnovers are now Tipperary’s most effective source of scores from play.
Within that approach, ball-retention following a turnover is crucial to Tipperary creating scoring opportunities, something which McGrath added massively to as Limerick’s intensity and physicality in the tackle increased.
In the final quarter he gained possession and delivered the first pass for an important 1-03. This included the interception and initial pass for John McGrath’s second goal, and before that an incisive pass from a half-back position through the middle which led to a Darragh McCarthy point in the 61st minute.
All in all, Tipperary’s experienced playmaker was involved in seven scoring opportunities after coming on, nearly a third of his overall contributions after entering the fray. A harsh call for a foul handpass and one long ball which was lost under the breaks were his only negative involvements.
Tipperary’s experienced playmaker was involved in seven scoring opportunities after coming on, nearly a third of his overall contributions after entering the fray
Today’s game will be his 12th Munster championship encounter against the Rebels, with last year’s win being just the fourth for Cork in McGrath’s 13 championship encounters with them.
The only two championship games he has missed since making his debut were the Munster semi-final and final in 2015, before making an emotional return for that year’s All-Ireland semi-final against Galway, four months after undergoing testicular cancer surgery.
So, on the day he breaks the record for most championship appearances, does Cahill bank on holding him back hoping to replicate the same impact off the bench? Or does he pick on most recent form and start his three-time All Star and All-Ireland winner against a Cork side who so easily brushed them aside in his absence in the league final?
Either way, Noel McGrath has shown that 15 years and 17 seasons after his breakthrough championship campaign, he is still a crucial player for Tipperary and getting the most out of him could be a decisive factor in how their season unfolds.
