LIMERICK side UL Bohemians take on Cork Constitution this Friday 23 night in their first ODM sponsored Munster Senior Cup final for 32 years.
The Annacotty based side, coached by Colm Tucker Jnr, has not won the competition since 1962. Ahead of this weekend’s game, Colm remembered the glory days of the competition, when his late father Colm won five cups with Shannon.
“We were bred on this competition. It was massive in our house growing up. My Dad won this competition five times and those wins were his pride and joy. This weekend is a very proud moment for UL Bohemians. We want to win this game more than anything” added Tucker, now in his second season with the Robins.
The final, which has a 7.30pm kick off at the famous Mardyke ground, will attract a large crowd. The days of 20,000 plus supporters cramming into Thomond Park to see Shannon and Garryowen may be gone, but the Cup still holds it kudos with the players and coaches involved in trying to win the famous trophy.
“It still has a huge place in the season. All the big clubs do hold this in high regard. The way I am looking at it is that every other club in Munster would love to be in the final,” commented Tucker.
“I know Brian Walsh of Cork Con holds this cup in high regard too. It was the Heineken Cup Final of it’s day. It probably doesn’t get the same national recognition as it used to, what with the AIL and the ‘A’ games now being played on the same weekends, but it still holds a major tradition in this club”
UL Bohemians go into the game as underdogs to the famous Cork Constitution club. However, first blood this season in the Ulster Bank League has already gone to UL Bohemians. A 23-15 win over Con might have secured points in the league, but Colm Tucker knows that result matters for little this Friday night.
“The one thing we have struggled with in the AIL this season has been consistency. We have struggled away from home and we have shipped a lot of points. The division we are playing in is a huge learning curve and we know that the standard is very high. We need to get our mindset right for games like that. Every week we have to perform. We played well against ‘Con’ here in Annacotty but that will count for nothing this weekend in a final.”
With Cork Con going for their 25th title and UL Bohemians going for their 5th (first since the amalgamation with UL), the scene is set for a titanic battle.
With the cup on offer since 1886 (replaced in 1994), the tradition of the Munster Senior Cup is second to none in the domestic game.
This weekend will be first meeting of Cork Con and UL Bohemians in the final showpiece since 1932. The days of Colm Tucker Snr’s games being sell-outs to the point of having to turn people away might be gone, but the name Tucker might just be linked once more to the famous cup final. The final words are left this week to Colm Tucker Jnr.
“We are a young team, but we have some experience in there as well. All teams are young now really. It is a young man’s game. It is a great experience for the young lads in the squad to play in a Munster Senior Cup final, but we are here to win and not make up the numbers. So youth will not be an excuse in that regard.”
