Babs goes over the top on Lar while King Henry eyes yet another scoring crown
By Declan Whooley and Sean Nolan
Babs Keating didn’t take yesterday’s defeat well
Former Tipperary hurling boss Babs Keating is no stranger to airing outspoken and often controversial views. Yesterday’s 18-point defeat to Kilkenny will have most Tipp supporter’s downbeat, but Keating has described Lar Corbett’s performance yesterday in Croke Park as “despicable”, among other things.
In his column in The Irish Sun, Keating was extremely disappointed with the 2010 Hurler of the Year as he followed Tommy Walsh for the game despite being marked by Jackie Tyrell. “There’s no place for that sort of stuff on the hurling field – and certainly not in a Tipperary jersey”. He went on to claim that he will not watch his beloved county next year if Lar continues in a Tipp jersey next season.
Never a man to mince his words, Keating absolved manager Declan Ryan of all blame, and feels that supporters are too quick to point the finger at managers when players should shoulder more of the responsibility. “One of them (players) passed a comment that the team was sinking when I left as manager. Well, Lar Corbett opened every porthole, window and door to make sure it fully sank yesterday”.
We shouldn’t be surprised at Babs’ comments but the last thing Tipperary, and Corbett in particular, need right now is their own turning on them.
And we know there is a at least one pub in Thurles where Babs won’t be welcome now.
Henry eyes another title
As well as now being just 70 minutes away from winning his ninth All-Ireland title, Kilkenny’s Henry Shefflin is also now odds on to claim yet another scoring crown.
Limerick’s Shane Dowling, who nabbed 4-37 in Championship 2012, led for a long time but the Ballyhale man scored 0-11 yesterday without really hitting the heights and he is now on a grand total of 3-35 for the year.
That means a mere six-point haul against Galway in the All-Ireland final will make Shefflin the top scorer in the country yet again. As the old saying goes, form is temporary, class is permanent.
Waving goodbye
Speaking of class, look how happy this Kilkenny supporter is to wave home the Tipp folk who hit the road early from Croker yesterday. Joy unconfined.
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