Tipperary know they will have to up the ante against All-Ireland champions Kilkenny in the McCarthy Cup decider next month despite a six goal demolition job on Limerick in last Sunday’s one sided semi-final. Tipp won the game by a score of 6-19 to 2-7.

Star forward Lar Corbett led the rout with a hat-trick of goals inside just 10 minutes, but even he expects a severe test against the defending champions in September.

“I don’t think that workrate today will win an All-Ireland on September 6,” declared Corbett after the Croke Park massacre.

“It has to be upped again because we know what Kilkenny are doing to teams year-in, year-out, so we’re under no illusions.

“We are under no illusions that workrate today won’t win an All-Ireland. Kilkenny are doing it year in and year out. We have to up it again.”

“We gave Kilkenny a run for their money in the league final and it made up a bit for the 17-point hammering they gave us in the league in Nowlan Park. I think we are stronger since then. I’m looking forward now to three weeks’ time.

“After the Munster final the training was upped five or 10 per cent and we will need that again and more.

Corbett felt for a Limerick side beaten from start to finish. He added, “Limerick will be disappointed today. Frustrated with themselves. Any time I have played them it wasn’t like that. Never.

“You look at the two teams compared to two years ago. Tipp have had a few young fellas come in. They are different looking sides and the young fellas made a big difference for us.”

Tipp boss Liam Sheedy was also quick to talk down his team’s chances against All-Ireland favourites Kilkenny.

“I suppose we’ve waited a year to get back up in here and redeem ourselves after last year against Waterford at Croke Park. We’re just delighted to have qualified for an All-Ireland final,” said Sheehy.

“Overall, our aim coming up was to qualify for an All- Ireland final. There was a lot of hurt in our dressing-room this time last year. Our defeat to Waterford was anything but a nice day and it hurt a lot of us.

 “Overall, some patches of our play were very good today, but, in terms of Kilkenny, I don’t need to tell you, they haven’t been beaten in four years, and they’re the benchmark for everyone else.

“If we were to play them as we did today, in terms of our aggression and our workrate, that wouldn’t be enough.”

Sheedy also felt sorry for Sunday’s losers and said, “That just wasn’t Limerick today. I’d feel for Justin and the lads. It’s happened to me a few times as a manager where just nothing happens for you and it doesn’t work out.

“Unfortunately for Limerick they had one of those days, but there’s big guys in that dressingroom, there’s great character in that dressingroom and I’ve no doubt they will be back because that just wasn’t their form.”

Limerick manager Justin McCarthy is to stay on with his team despite a poor day at the office on Sunday. 

“What can you say? You have to admire the team that beat us,” he said.

“They played outstanding stuff. I’m not going to blame anybody. Our lads are amateur players. They gave their all. I’m not going to blame anybody.”

Gooch Confesses

KERRY legend Colm Cooper has come clean on the drinking session that landed him in trouble with boss Jack O’Connor -- and vowed to learn from the experience.

The Gooch was dropped to the bench for the All-Ireland qualifier against Antrim after he broke an alcohol ban on the night of their win over Sligo.

Speaking to the Irish Daily Mirror, Cooper admitted, “It’ll make me stronger, maybe mentally stronger. It’s part of growing up too I suppose. I’m only 26 but I put my hands up and said, ‘Look, I was offside.’

“I made the front pages and I was thinking, ‘Jesus, if this is what happens to a 26-year-old, a guy working down the country and having a few pints, there’s something wrong somewhere.’

“It doesn’t hide the fact that I had a couple of pints after the Sligo game. I shouldn’t have had them. Why do you do it? Frustration. The way we were playing.

“If I was on a big session, I’d say okay. If it was five or six pints, I’d say that I had them but even if it was six or eight pints, it’s the same.

“We weren’t supposed to be having a few pints, that’s the bottom line.”

Cooper will be back in the firing line against Meath at the end of the month, and admitted that it will difficult to reproduce the magic that destroyed Dublin in the All-Ireland quarterfinal.

“Will it be difficult? You’d have to think so,” he added.

“If you were to talk about coming into the Dublin game, we had no form. To come in with this very good performance, can you do that again? Can you go back to that level again?

“It’s the famous word ‘hunger.’ Is that going to be there again the next day? These are all questions that can be thrown out.

“I expected more from Dublin. Maybe it was a case that we got the start that Dublin wanted. We just seemed to take heart and went from strength to strength, and maybe the wheels came off Dublin a little bit.

“I don’t know because I know it was said their form was good. They had played Westmeath, Kildare and Meath, and they’re not bad teams.”

Meanwhile, Kerry’s big full-forward Kieran Donaghy remains a major doubt for the All-Ireland SFC semifinal against Meath on Sunday, August 30 as he continues his recovery from a broken foot.

“Hopefully Kieran will be available for the match against Meath, but we won’t know his situation until a good deal closer to the match,” selector Ger O’Keeffe told the Irish Independent.

“At the moment, he hasn’t returned to training, and we don’t know when he will be able to do so. He’s coming to the sessions okay, but that’s only to receive treatment from the medical people.

“The biggest problem with an injury of this type is that a player takes a good bit of time to recover from it. The medical people don’t know for sure how long it will take, but they feel it could be six to eight weeks. And it’s just four weeks since we played Longford.”

Devine Out

TYRONE boss Mickey Harte is confident that Enda McGinley will be fit to start Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC semifinal against Cork, but goalkeeper Jon Devine will definitely miss the match through injury.

Cork will have defender Anthony Lynch fit for selection after a recent groin injury and he expects a battle royale against the All-Ireland champions.

“It’ll be very tough for us, it’s a big game, and we’re just hoping that we’ll do well. It’s a good opportunity too, though, to play teams like that so we’re looking forward to it,” said Lynch

“We’ll have to wait and see what sort of game it is. Obviously, Tyrone are All-Ireland champions and they’re known for their intensity.

“At the same time, we wouldn’t be too used to playing them. We can only wait and see what happens on the day.”

GAA Shorts

GALWAY are on the look-out for a new manager for their senior football team after Liam Sammon declined a third year in the job. Sammon, whose team lost to Mayo in the Connacht final and Donegal in the qualifiers, made the shock announcement late last week. Mick O’Dwyer, Kevin Walsh, Eoin O’Donnellan, Alan Mulholland and Frank Doherty have all been linked with the Galway job . . .

EAMONN McEneaney is yet to make a decision on his future as Louth boss. “You always have to have a look at it at the end of every year and assess the situation and that’s what I will be doing over the next couple of weeks,” he said . . .

VETERAN goalkeeper Damien Fitzhenry is prepared to consider another year in the Wexford hurling colors next season but won’t make any decision until after this year’s club commitments with Duffry Rovers come to an end . . .

SEAN Dempsey is to carry on as manager of the Laois football team for another season, but all players on the squad next year will be asked to sign a code of conduct after a number of disciplinary problems during the 2009 season . . .

DUBLIN footballers Denis Bastick and Ciaran Whelan could yet face disciplinary action from the Central Competitions Control Committee over incidents in their All-Ireland quarterfinal defeat to Kerry . . .

WICKLOW midfielder Thomas Walsh has applied for a club transfer back to his native Fenagh in Carlow, with Carlow fans hopeful he will rejoin their county squad as well . . .

SPECULATION is rife in Waterford that former hurler of the year Tony Browne is about to retire from inter-county action at the age of 36 . . .

PAUL Grimley currently working with Kieran McGeeney and Kildare, is favorite to return to Armagh to succeed Peter McDonnell as manager . . .

WICKLOW officials are confident that they can persuade veteran coach Mick O’Dwyer to stay for another season in charge.