Not perfect but sufficient from Tipp

BACK MAN'S JOB

Paddy Stapleton

 

If you told me last week that we would beat Laois by ten points and avoid any straight red cards or injuries I would have taken it with a heart and a half.

Lacking energy, passion and intensity would be all pretty accurate when evaluating Tipp’s performance against Laois on Sunday, but it will not keep me awake at night. I have played in matches like this, against Offaly and Wexford in 2010 and Offaly again in 2014 before reaching All-Ireland finals. Subdued performances where you are in a no-win situation are not games to get the blood boiling to fever pitch. The work-rate and support runs off the ball were not in any way as evident as earlier games. However, Cork beat the brakes off of Westmeath last weekend, did that make a jot of difference to how their game with Kilkenny went? I would say not, and often those facile wins can lull a team, individual players, or management into a false sense of confidence. 

The fact is we got a very tough test that will do us no harm in our preparation for Wexford in two weeks time. If we had gone out and dismantled Laois then I think we would be massively vulnerable in the All-Ireland semi-final. We could have called the Munster Final a blip and powered on to the next game with our chin in the air, unwittingly awaiting a knockout punch from the model men.  

Usefully for us, Laois play in a formation and style not too dissimilar to Wexford. They go very tight man-to-man in defence and have a sweeper or two cutting out windows of space, as well as picking up any ball that doesn’t go to hand in the Tipp forward line. The Noel McGrath to Seamie Callanan passage for the opening goal was perfect in terms of what is needed against these clogged defences, but it is impossible to depend on that type of special play every day you go out to play.  

 

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