Jake Morris proud of Tipp hurlers' resilience all season as they gear up to take down Cork

Jake Morris is expecting another free-flowing game of hurling when Cork and Tipperary meet with All-Ireland honours on the line.

The Premier vice-captain has a strong record against Cork. He scored the levelling point in 2018, his debut year, and the clinching goal in their 2020 qualifier.

He has never left with less than 0-3 in their last six meetings, despite enduring some tough defeats.

“It’s down to the free-flowing, good games of hurling,” says the Nenagh Éire Óg man. “Cork have some serious forwards, and I am sure some of their forwards like to play us as well.

“Alan (Connolly), in particular, has gotten good scores against us over the last couple of years. It’s probably the way games go, but we are looking forward to taking them on again.” 

Morris attributes the best year of his career to being granted greater freedom to roam. The key detail for him is being more consistently involved in the play around the half-forward line.

“Predominantly, I have been playing inside since I came on the scene.

After a chat with the management, they said I’d be deployed a bit further away from goal, and that has helped my game.

“I am enjoying it out there, but also being able to go back inside as well.

“There is a bit more freedom to get on the ball and use your legs more than inside, where you could be waiting five or 10 minutes for a ball to come in and you have to make hay with it.

“Just being involved in the game more is helping my game.” 

ROVING COMMISSION

Morris had been positioned at centre-forward throughout the spring, but, if anything, the emergence of Andrew Ormond has enabled him to play an even freer role drifting from the wing.

“Historically, Tipperary have always had forwards rotating,” he adds. “It’s really what you have to do because it’s easier to get a handle on a fella when you stay in one position all game.

“Moving around and taking a lad into different positions, you find yourself on ball in different places.

“It makes our team tick a little better when we are rotating, especially with Darragh (McCarthy) going out to take frees. 

"We like to make sure we set up well, so someone slips into the full-forward line to cover him.” 

After McCarthy’s semi-final red card, Morris was the first man over to shepherd the Toomevara teenager off the field.

“It was really about switching back on and getting the lads set up well with the two inside and everyone else back out the field and getting your shape again because we didn’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves in the moment,” he reflects.

It’s just really sweet. It will bring the group on a massive amount to get through that battle with 14 men.

“It was really satisfying, but that is down to the hard work the group has put in all year long and how honest it is.

“We have been doing that all year. Even when we went down to 14 men in Cork, we still stayed trying and stayed playing to the final whistle.

“That is something we were conscious of since the start of the year, that no matter how a game is going, we stay hurling to the final whistle. It is a good trait for a team to have.”