SENIOR HURLING PREVIEW: Let's dream the impossible dream

The hit show Man of La Mancha encourages us:

To dream the impossible dream

To fight the unbeatable foe

To run where the brave dare not go

To reach the unreachable star.

It could be a bit like that for the Tipperary hurlers on Sunday at FBD Semple Stadium when they entertain Cork, knowing that victory could put them right back in the All-Ireland mix again.

Three defeats has left Colm Bonner’s men floundering at the foot of the provincial table, but should the results go Tipp’s way, they can still reach that unreachable star and qualify.

Cork’s defeat of Waterford in Walsh Park last Sunday has thrown the cat among the pigeons and were Tipperary to turn around and defeat Cork next Sunday; and were Waterford to lose to Clare also next Sunday, the three counties would end up on two points apiece. Scoring difference would then come into play and basically, were Tipperary to defeat Cork by more than seven points, progression could be possible.

There are a lot of if’s, and’s and but’s in the above scenario, however, Tipperary must believe that they can beat the unbeatable foe, dream the impossible dream and reach the unreachable star.

Having displayed so much hunger and guts in two of the three championship defeats and having come up just short, Tipperary are surely due a break of some kind. Perhaps that break cam materialise when Cork come to Thurles for the final game. Another repeat of the Clare game form will not do though - Sunday has to be more of the Waterford and Limerick form.

Be warned - the Rebels will be rightly buoyed up by their performance against Waterford last Sunday. They produced a fine display to defeat the Deise in Walsh Park and they know as they make the journey to Semple Stadium - a journey they love - that their destiny is in their own hands. Defeat Tipperary and they will progress, no matter how any other results go.

Cork’s route to progression is far more straight forward than Tipperary then, but you know championship hurling does not work in straight lines - that’s what Tipperary have to believe - that's the star they have to reach for when the ball is thrown in.