Sharpness and focus needs to be rediscovered for semi-final
It wasn't a performance to erase concerns in the aftermath of the Munster Final but it was a win nonetheless over Laois that sees Tipperary into an tenth All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship semi-final in twelve years.
In advance, we wondered what Tipperary we would get, one that would be fired up to erase the memory of the defeat to Limerick and blow away Laois in the process, or just about do enough without being convincing.
Well, we got the latter and it shouldn't have been surprising as this Tipperary team have always struggled in games like these where they are expected to win comfortably as they don't bring that intensity to perform at an optimum level. That being said they did enough, plus Laois were no mugs. They were never going to roll over easily. Their system suggested that with John Lennon sitting back as a sweeper with Cha Dwyer as an extra body around the middle, leaving Aaron Dunphy at times as their only player in the full forward line.
Laois wouldn't have beaten Dublin to get to this stage if they weren't organised and there was never any fear they would be overawed by the occasion of their first quarter final in 40 years, their bright start indicated that, while the set-back of two Tipp goals in five minutes by the 16th minute didn't see them drop their heads, neither did the sending off of Aaron Dunphy two minutes into the second half for lashing out at Padraic Maher. The strike might not have been severe but under rule, it was “striking with minimal force” as per rule and left the referee with a decision to make.
Some of the vitriol that has come Padraic Maher from pundits and on social media has been unwarranted as he was caught on the side of the knee with the strike which for anyone struck that way is sore and Maher is not a player to go down that way to get a player sent off. Instead, Dunphy has gotten off lightly for being stupid enough to draw a stroke in front of the linesman, all to shake away a defender who was annoying him, which is what defenders are supposed to do to forwards.
Tipperary made the start they needed to quell the Laois momentum and on another day the half time score could have been closer to 5-11 with the goal chances squandered in the opening period by Jason Forde, John McGrath and Seamus Callanan. If the goals had gone in, the report might have said a ruthless Tipp has progressed to the quarter final but the missed chances highlight a sloppiness to the performance for the most part.
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