Munster Hurling Final Fan Guide

6th Jul 2017

Get Your Ticket
If you’re not there then you can’t have any influence on the game so get your tickets quick before they sell out - there are only tickets for the Killinan End left. If you’re not a member of a GAA club or your club’s allocation is sold out you can buy them online on gaa.ie and print them off at home or you can pick up a physical ticket in 31 different Supervalu’s around the county.

Just like the semi-final against the Blaa’s we need the Rebel to Banner fan ratio in the stadium to be as high as possible so get on it now if you’ve left it late to buy one.

The Red Sea
A sea of red all around the stadium will inspire Kingston’s men by turning Thurles into a virtual home venue for the Rebels. Paint your face red and wear red socks. Even your jocks should be red! 

Even if it means buying one from a washed-out Dublin street seller with a voice that sounds like a wasp stuck in a vuvuzela you should have a Cork flag going into the stadium. The only excuse for not having one is that you don’t have arms and in fairness you could still get someone to cable tie it to your head if things are that bad.

Defiance in Small Doses
A fan favourite when travelling to Not Cork, especially among fans from the city, is asking for Murphy’s or Beamish in Thurles bars that clearly only sell Guinness and then ordering a Midleton whisky instead of conceding to the Dublin brew - just to make a point.

Sing It Out
Take a leaf out of the Turner’s Cross book where the entire Shed joins in the chants and songs from start to finish. GAA fans don’t get together for championship games as regularly as League of Ireland fans so their repertoire is much smaller but don’t be the grump with folded arms in the middle of the Town End terrace that doesn’t add their voice to the Rebel roar. Every decibel will count.

The ‘F’ Word
Don’t wreck anyone’s positive buzz by going over the events of last Sunday in Killarney on the way to Thurles. The current impotency of Cork’s big ball intercounty scene is depressing so avoid the ‘F’ word for the day and stick to the ‘H’ one.

Breaking The Banner
If Clare get the upper hand at some point that’s even more reason to get behind the team. When Waterford scored their goal last time out Cork fans rallied and roared on the Rebels who replied immediately with a Conor Lehane point and went on to win the game.

If Cork are at the receiving end of an injustice (and remember that any official judgement not in Cork’s favour is defined as an injustice) then we must thunder our disapproval so it can be heard in Mitchelstown and then roar on the team afterwards. 

On High
During the pitch invasion after a successful Munster final it is obligatory for Cork hurlers to be carried shoulder high to the Old Stand. Many fans will have been undergoing extensive winter gym training specifically for this task. You can spot them in the front row of the new stand in Semple – many of them will have models of the stadium advertising hoarding at home that they practice leaping over for when the final whistle goes on Sunday. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail and all that.

Trying to Get on The Sunday Game
There’s no telling what the euphoria of a Cork win on Sunday will do to the part of the brain that prevents you from mortifying yourself on national television so if you’re going to try to get on the telly you might as well do it with gusto. Consider bringing a small foldable ladder into the Town End to climb up and interfere with the Sunday Game’s live broadcast – banging the glass and shouting ‘whey-hey boyyyy! Up the rebillllls!’ over and over again will have the desired effect.

The Glory Gait
If we win on Sunday after leaving the stadium you should adjust your usual way of walking to a more flamboyant strut until at least the following week in celebration of how happy you are about being from Cork – the home of Munster hurling. Swagger your shoulders back and forth, bounce lightly as you pep-step from toe to heel and swing your arms for the full ‘I Am The Man’ peacock effect.