Tipp take training plans to the Camogie playing pitch

By Thomas Conway

There was an electric atmosphere in The Ragg on Saturday evening.

The small roadside venue was teeming with people, many of them children, most of them clad in blue and gold. They had travelled from far and wide to witness first-hand this Tipperary team, to see them begin their 2023 Championship journey. And what a start it was.

In essence, Tipp steamrolled Dublin. They had this game wrapped up within twenty minutes. The visitors simply could not match the hosts’ work-rate and intensity. It was evident from early on that Tipp were at a different level. The contrast between both sides was glaring. Tipp were superior on every front, from physical composition and conditioning to basic skill-level and tactical awareness.

DIAGONAL BALL

Watching Tipp play is like watching a mathematician teach trigonometry to a bunch of university students. Tipp have mastered the diagonal ball. On several occasions, they put together a kind of criss-cross diagonal move which ultimately led to a score. Cáit Devane’s early goal was a prime example. The goal was a feat of collective brilliance, precipitated by Julieanne Bourke from corner-back. Bourke fed Kennedy, who blazed a trail up the field and delivered the most audacious of cross-field passes to Róisín Howard. Audacious, but brilliantly accurate and perfectly weighted. Howard snatched possession and played in Devane, who wrapped up the move with a typically suave finish.

The entire episode came straight from the training ground. It was a move that those players have presumably enacted and rehearsed time and time again in The Ragg on a weekday evening. The off-the-shoulder movement, the clever handpass, the pitch perfect cross-field ball. Tipp have it all down to a fine art and on Saturday it paid dividends, enabling them to crush Dublin from early on and walk away with a handsome victory.

So, what explains this new look Tipperary? How can a team which struggled so desperately in 2022 look so commanding and refined in 2023. New management has certainly been a factor. Denis Kelly has reinvigorated the set-up, refreshed the squad and stamping his own imprint on the team in terms of tactics and playing philosophy. By far and above the biggest difference, however, has been the return of key individuals such as joint-captains Karen Kennedy and Clodagh Quirke. Kennedy, in particular, has been awesome. There are relatively few players in the current inter-county game who wield such influence over their team. She is, in effect, Tipp’s rock, their playmaker, a creative genius who thrives defensively but also poses a serious threat going forward. On the front foot Kennedy is almost impossible to stop, and she illustrated that on several occasions against Dublin.

Individual talent

Offensively, Tipp have so many assets to draw upon. Their forward line is literally stacked with individual talent, and yet it operates with a cohesiveness that makes it almost impossible for opposition teams to subdue. In some ways, the Tipp forward line is comparable to the Limerick front six in hurling terms. You have players such as Róisín Howard, playmakers which knit the play together in a manner not dissimilar from Cian Lynch. And then there are others, such as Grace O’Brien, who, like Tom Morrisey or Gearóid Hegarty, will always contribute three or four points.

Crucially however, Tipp also have sharpshooters - players, like Cáit Devane and Eimear McGrath, who are absolutely unstoppable when it comes to picking off scores, much like Aaron Gillane or Séamus Flanagan.

Devane was immense in this game. She is arguably Tipp’s most potent attacking weapon, waiting patiently for breaks and never forcing her way into the play, but always prowling - like a hyena stalking its prey. Her main strength lies in her ability to judge and anticipate, which enables the Clonoulty-Rossmore clubwoman to predict where the ball is going to land, and position herself accordingly.

Impressive as Tipp’s performance was last Saturday, one is still tempted to ask the question: was it a bit too easy? Do Tipp have weaknesses that might cause them to falter against the bigger sides - the Corks, the Galway’s, and the Kilkenny’s? The team is playing with such confidence and vivacity that it is almost impossible to identify any real flaws in their armoury, but they definitely exist.

Tipp might have strength in depth, but could they cope without their big-game match-winning players, such as Devane or Kennedy? Perhaps they could. Denis Kelly’s side have exhibited a degree of flexibility which has been ultra-impressive thus far this season. His team can play in different ways and adapt to different circumstances. It is altogether possible that, were Tipp to lose one of those big-game players, they would adapt and compensate by playing an alternative game-plan. But there was no need for alternatives last Saturday against Dublin. The Premier County crushed the Liffeysiders, demonstrating that they are now at a different level relative to 2022.

As this championship progresses however, the hurdles will grow in size. Tipp’s next challenge, a bout against Wexford down in Enniscorthy on Saturday week, is a potential banana skin. Wexford put up a good showing against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park last Saturday, eventually drawing 3-11 to 1-17.

They are no pushover, that much is certain. But win that, and Tipp will seal their progress to the knockout stages. Suddenly their pathway through this championship will begin to crystallise. The sky is the limit this year for Tipperary. Anything is possible. If Tipp want to challenge for top honours however, they will need to emulate Saturday’s performance and maintain consistently high standards. They have both the personnel and the self-belief to do something historic in 2023. They took the first step last weekend, but there are giant leaps coming down the line, and they will need to be prepared to react to every circumstance.