Tipp manager Cahill delighted last chance to win U20 clash against Cork fell to Morris
Tipperary manager Liam Cahill was delighted that his side’s last chance of winning the Munster U20 final clash with Cork fell to experienced senior Jake Morris.
The Nenagh man hit Tipperary’s winning goal in injury time, and Cahill said of the chance: “It fell to the right man, Jake (Morris). He might have had a quiet enough game by his standards, but when he got the chance he took it in his stride really.
“It was a game of unbelievable intensity, and fair play to Denis (Ring, Cork manager), he had his team prepared really well. Who’s to say, with all respect to Wexford and Kilkenny, we could end up playing each other in the final in time?
“We have a big task on our hands now getting our lads focused on the next day against Wexford - that’s a game we’ll treat with all the respect it deserves if we want to progress to the last two in this championship.”
Cahill acknowledged Cork are now where Tipp were in last year - losers in the Munster final and gunning for revenge in the All-Ireland series.
That’s hurling, isn’t it? Cork are in the position now that we were in last year and I’m sure they’d love to get back to the All-Ireland final as we did last year.
“But Kilkenny and Wexford are two very good teams - I was down watching them in their own final and they’re two fine big physical, hard-running teams. This has been a wonderful championship to date, our lads have shown a never say die attitude which was great to see.”
Goalscoring hero Jake Morris paid tribute to his defenders, who were heroic as Tipp came with that late surge for victory.
“The lads were serious in the half-back line there towards the end, the likes of Paddy Cadell and Jerome Cahill really put their bodies on the line.
“They’re serious operators and they had to be, because we knew Cork were a serious side and they showed that tonight. Ger (Millerick) is a seriously tight marker and I knew he was going to pick me up tonight, we’ve marked each other before.”
