0 – Times Cork have met Tipperary in an All-Ireland final before. This will be the 37th unique pairing in an All-Ireland final. Tipperary are the 10th different county Cork will have faced in a final. Cork are the ninth different county to meet Tipp in one.
1 – Goalless game in the 2025 Championship so far. Limerick v Waterford in the Munster round robin on May 3rd was the only match without a green flag. There were two in 2024. The last goalless final was 2020, when Limerick beat Waterford by 0-30 to 0-19.
2 – Draws in the 2025 Championship so far. They both happened on the opening Sunday back in April, both in Munster. Later, the Munster final was level in normal time and extra-time, before being decided by penalties. If it’s level on Sunday, there will be extra-time but no penalties. The replay, if needed, will be on Saturday, August 2nd.
3 – Both managers are in the third year of their tenure. Pat Ryan and Liam Cahill were appointed within a fortnight of each other in July 2022. The last manager of any county to win a first All-Ireland in his third season was Liam Sheedy with Tipperary in 2010. Nobody has taken until their fourth season to win one since Jimmy Barry-Murphy with Cork in 1999.
RM Block
4 – Goals scored by Cork in each of their last three championship matches against Tipperary. The last time Tipp scored four goals against Cork was the 1991 Munster final. Cork scored four that day too.
8 – Survivors in the Tipperary panel from their last final appearance in 2019. This will be a first senior All-Ireland final experience for the other 18 Tipp players. By contrast, Diarmuid Healy, Cormac O’Brien, Brian Roche and sub-goalie Bríon Saunderson are the only players in the Cork panel not to have played in an All-Ireland final before.
12 – Different clubs in Cork’s starting 15. Glen Rovers have the Downeys and Patrick Horgan, Blarney are represented by Mark Coleman and Shane Barrett. Ten clubs make up the rest.
13 – Finals in a row that will see at least one pair of brothers in the starting line-up. Eoin and Rob Downey carry on a streak that began with Colin and Michael Fennelly of Kilkenny in the drawn final in 2014. The last final with no brothers on the pitch was in 2013 between Clare and Cork. Nicky and Cathal O’Connell were both on the bench for Clare but only Nicky played any part.
13 – Different clubs in Tipperary’s starting 15. Nenagh Éire Óg are represented by Jake Morris and Sam O’Farrell, while Ronan Maher and Conor Stakelum fly the flag for Thurles Sarsfields.
20 – Years since a Cork player was named Hurler of the Year. Jerry O’Connor won it in 2005 but it hasn’t happened since. Ahead of the final, the first four names at the head of the betting lists are from Cork – (in order) Brian Hayes, Alan Connolly, Darragh Fitzgibbon and Patrick Horgan.
37 – The age of Patrick Horgan, making him quite possibly the last ever player born in the 1980s to play in an All-Ireland hurling final. Since you’re asking, the first was Eoin Kelly for Tipperary against Galway in 2001.
61 – Years since the last time there was a Galway referee for the final. Liam Gordon will be closing off a gap that stretches back to 1964, when Ardrahan man Aubrey Higgins was in charge of the final between Tipp and Kilkenny.
