HURLING fans are being reminded of the rise in scam tickets doing the rounds throughout this All-Ireland final week.
Tipperary and Cork people will be particularly desperate to snag a spot in Croke Park for Sunday’s showpiece since it is their counties who will be battling it out to lift the Liam MacCarthy trophy.
As the days tick by and those still hunting a ticket get increasingly desperate, they are increasingly likely to fall victim to scam artists.
On Monday Gardai issued a warning to fans around how to spot if a prospective seller is illegitimate.
The bottom line a spokesperson said was that tickets are ONLY available to buy through GAA clubs with some draws taking place later this week.
They are not on general sale so if you’re not being prompted to go through an avenue like Revolut you should assume it is a scam.
In addition to that, there was also the usual reminder that SafeTix scanning will be in place at the Croke Park turnstiles.
Screenshots of e-tickets will not allow you to gain access to GAA headquarters.
Tickets need to be either transferred using the Ticketmaster transfer function or printed as PDF tickets. Again, screen grabs will not suffice under any circumstances.
The Rebels are strong favourites to end a 20-year drought for the senior men’s hurlers. But write off the Premier at your peril as they’ve already defied the odds to get this far.
On Tuesday Tipp boss Liam Cahill acknowledged nothing floats his boat quite like silencing the doubters.
The manager’s plea for patience fell on deaf ears. Transition phase or not, being in All-Ireland contention is expected in Tipperary.
And the Premier chief admitted: “Yes, there was not much of a ship sticking out of the water and it didn’t look like it was going to come back up any time soon.”
Finishing third in Munster and advancing to the All-Ireland series represented progress this summer.
But Tipperary went full steam ahead by knocking out Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-finals to set up a first appearance in the decider since they last won Liam MacCarthy in 2019.
EXTRA MOTIVATION
Proving those 2024 naysayers wrong has been a motivating factor.
Cahill — who was appointed in July 2022 — said: “To keep proving people wrong is a key driver for me personally and it is a key driver for all the players in the dressing room.
“You don’t take it personally — you should never do that — but it does hurt when your good name is questioned.
“I know it’s only sport and it’s probably a bit dramatic to reference your name, but your identity and what you stand for . . .
“When you look in at a team that don’t reflect what you really want to go after and what you prepare for, it does hurt you as a manager and it does leave you with evenings of looking out the back door or looking up at the ceiling.”
Cahill’s credentials were questioned after the limp Championship exit to Clare last year.
He said: “You can’t get too sensitive over these things. You have to understand that these questions have to be asked too when the performances aren’t there.
“Referencing the question after the Clare game, it probably was warranted at the time but it’s a tougher question when it comes from one of your own.
“The reality is the county board had given me a three-year term to try and fix this thing the best I could.”
