WINNING START

Normally, it is important to start the Munster championship with any kind of a win but for Cork, this game was vital. With Limerick coming up this Sunday as well as a tricky away game against Waterford in their third game, the Rebels getting the job done here sets them up nicely for the rest of the campaign. To win the second half by 0-16 to 1-9 was a nice added bonus in what was a good display. Cork will have tougher tests down the line, and Tipp were not at their best, but it’s a victory all the same. A second win on the bounce and getting one over Tipp and Limerick would be a great start.

IMPRESSIVE DEBUTS

For William Buckley and Barry Walsh, this was their first senior championship outing but they didn’t look out of place. St Finbarr’s man Buckley struck 0-6 as well as providing 0-3 in assists and earning the Man of the Match award. He also converted all of his attempts, putting a seal on a top class display. Killeagh’s Walsh, who started nervously, converted all his attempts too and hit 0-4 from play. Alan Walsh made his championship debut from the bench and chipped in with a point. Overall, it was a good day for the youngsters and Ben O’Connor deserves massive credit for integrating them into the panel. They will now look to push on with Limerick up next.

GOOD INTENSITY

This is a Munster championship encounter after all so Cork needed to show they meant business to get over the line. They won 33 turnovers compared to Tipp’s 28. Cork scored 0-13 from turnovers too, with 0-7 of those coming in the second half. Robert Downey, Ciaran Joyce and Mark Coleman in particular started to get on top to the point where Tipp only had four shot attempts from play in the second period. The game may have started slowly as both teams were getting the feel from one another but as it went on, Cork started to take control and seized on their purple patch. If they show the same attitude for the remainder of the year, they will be hard to stop.

UNDER THE RADAR?

After their league final loss to Limerick, most would have predicted the Treaty to win the All-Ireland – and that suited Cork. They did win their opening championship match but it was by ‘only’ four points. A performance that allowed them see off All-Ireland champions Tipperary but not by completely dominating the game. If they had won this like their 15-point win over the Premier last year, the performance would have been hyped up to the level of All-Ireland winning discussion. By getting the victory without the big margin, this not only sets Cork up for the rest of the campaign but makes sure they are still flying under the radar. Ben O’Connor will be happy with where his team are right now.

PUCK-OUT STRUGGLE

Cork won the game but it didn’t come without some worries. In the end, O’Connor’s side retained 85 percent of their puck-outs but the way they won them brought on pressure from the Tipperary forwards in the first-half. Overall, the home side won four possessions inside Cork’s 65 and got 0-7 off turnovers in the opening half. There were times that Cork overplayed the ball short rather than striking it into space up to the forwards. The fear of delivering the ball on top of the Tipp sweeper, like in last year’s All-Ireland final, was clear early on and it took time for the Rebels to switch up to the long ball. It didn’t prove costly in the end, but still something to work on.