THIS IS NOT A DRILL. The great wait is over — this is happening.
The big-screen messages were clear before Oasis came on stage for the first time in 16 years last Friday in Cardiff.
The brawling Gallagher brothers got the band back together and produced the mother of all comebacks. The guns had fallen silent in their 16-year war and it was like the band had never been away.
Off they went — ‘Hello, hello — it’s good to be back . . . ’
The world tour may have thrown in in Wales, but Ireland is a homecoming gig.
The Gallagher brothers are Manchester by birth, but Mayo by the grace of God and those lucky enough to get tickets for next month’s Croke Park shows are in for a treat.
The band split back in 2009, four years after Cork claimed their last All-Ireland SHC title.
Kilkenny secured the four in a row that September before Tipperary halted the Drive for Five a year later.
That rivalry took centre stage for much of the decade to come. The Cats and the Premier became hurling’s Liam and Noel, with Cork reduced to no more than a support act.
The feuding Oasis brothers embarked on solo careers and all the while, the Rebels still waited for the big one. There’s a feeling on Leeside now that their great wait is over.
Cork had to sit back and watch Kilkenny, Tipperary, Clare, Galway and Limerick top the charts.
Losing finals in 2006 (Kilkenny denied Cork a three in a row), 2013 (after a replay against Clare), 2021 (Limerick) and last July (Clare again, after extra-time) hurt.
April’s 3-26 to 1-16 drubbing by the Treaty in Limerick was a big blow.
But some might say that sunshine follows thunder, as the Rebels came back to the Gaelic Grounds and prevailed on penalties in the Munster final.
The stage was ready for a return to Croke Park — and so were they.
Pat Ryan’s men fired a warning shot to their rivals, blowing Dublin away with 7-26 in an exhibition of rock ’n roll hurling.
Their firing line were in tune as Alan Connolly bagged a hat-trick, with Brian Hayes and midfielder Tim O’Mahony chipping in with two apiece. The defence was a wonder wall last Saturday too.
Their fans left Dublin feeling that this really is happening. Since the qualifiers were introduced in 1997, Cork have never faced Tipperary in the final.
PREMIER PAIR
And the Premier’s Liam and Noel — manager Cahill and spiritual leader McGrath — are on a comeback tour of their own.
The county were on the floor last year when they failed to win a game in the Munster Championship, finishing bottom of the pile.
Cahill’s credentials were questioned. He asked patience of the Tipp public — who are restless at the best of times — but they just needed a little time to wake up.
Last year’s round robin cast no shadow as the opening-round draw with Limerick in Thurles offered hope.
A drubbing against Cork followed but Darragh McCarthy’s red card ended the game before it had even begun.
The Premier beat All-Ireland champions Clare before seeing off Waterford by nine points to seal third place in the group.
Laois and Galway were clinically dispatched before Cahill’s rebuild stood up to the test in Sunday’s thrilling semi-final against Kilkenny, when Oisín O’Donoghue struck a wonder goal to secure passage to the final.
The youngster could only lap it up in front of Hill 16, just as Oasis will do when they walk out on stage next month. Not even an umpire or a dodgy scoreboard will ruin it.
Similar scenes will unfold on either the South Mall or the square in Thurles after Rob Downey or Ronan Maher climbs the steps of the Hogan Stand to take Liam MacCarthy home.
Tipp blew the Cats away against all odds on Sunday, but this team’s journey is starting to look like it’s all part of the masterplan.
Twenty years on from 2005, all the pressure is on Ryan’s Rebels.
Because they need each other, they believe in one another — Cork and Tipperary need to uncover what’s sleeping in their souls.
