Cork Hurling Player Ratings: William Buckley and Robert Downey lead the way in Thurles

Patrick Collins: Great variety in his puck-out deliveries, from hitting midfielders inside the 65 to finding space on the wings further up. 7.

Seán O’Donoghue: Tagging Jason Forde from throw-in, he was rock solid in that role, limiting him to one assist for a converted free. 7.

Ciarán Joyce: Deployed to shut down John McGrath, who was withdrawn early in the second half. Tipp did goal through sub Alan Tynan in injury time but Cork were tighter defensively than in the league final, with Joyce a factor. 7.

Rob Downey: Started as a man-marker closer to goal. Had too much experience for Tipp U20 Stefan Tobin and very dominant when restored to centre-back for the second half. A lot of question marks hanging over him and he stood up. 9.

Eoin Downey: Broke even with Óisín O’Donoghue, who clipped a couple of sweet scores but grew into the game, denying Tipp a platform on long puck-outs. 7.

Niall O’Leary: Started in the six slot as he was picking up Andrew Ormonde, who struggled to get on the ball. 

Switched to his usual corner-back berth when Darragh McCarthy came on at half-time, minimising his impact from play. 8.

Mark Coleman: Had his hands full with Jake Morris initially but very positive when coming out with the sliotar. Hurled the world of ball in the second half mopping up any breaks. 7.

Tim O’Mahony: In the thick of the action and had a strong second half, linking for a lovely score with midfield partner Tommy O’Connell. Off target with a few long-range frees but a powerful presence. 7.

Tommy O’Connell: Operating very deep, he was the link man for the defence when running possession out. Added an extra body to rucks and breaks around the middle where Cork dominated for spells. 7.

Darragh Fitzgibbon: Incredible first quarter when he got off six shots and had 0-4 from play. Craig Morgan got to grips with him from there but the Cork captain set the tone. 7.

Shane Barrett: Very strong opening 35 minutes with three assists and two points. Finished the game with 0-4 and his ability to get into space on the flanks caused Tipp constant issues. 8.

Barry Walsh: Big ask making his debut on the wing and while he was caught in possession a few times early on, he clipped two scores coming up to the break. Carried that into the second half, adding another 0-2, assisting Brian Hayes’ score and getting fouled for a tap-over free. 8.

William Buckley: Very dangerous with three points in the first half, one a goal chance that flew over. Arrowed over two brilliant second-half points as well and a late free as the grace note of a spectacular debut. 9.

Alan Connolly: Minimal possession with Cork prioritising the running game until the second half, when there was more long ball in. Had two points from play and only missed one of his six frees. Came close with a goal chance too. 7.

Brian Hayes: Looked threatening at times but starved of quality ball. Held to a point play but was involved in four other scores. Came off for Alan Walsh late on. 6.

SUBS:

Diarmuid Healy: Gave Cork a lift with a 15-minute run after a spell injured. 6.

Alan Walsh: Grabbed the sliotar from the air to rifle over a crucial point late on. 6.

Hugh O’Connor, Séamus Harnedy, Pádraig Power: Not on long enough to rate.