It’s as good as we have played - Howard
By Thomas Conway
Róisín Howard had absolutely no right to land the Player of the Match award on Saturday in Enniscorthy. And yet, somehow, in the way that only Róisín Howard can, she managed it, picking up 1-2 on her Wexford sojourn and consolidating her reputation as one of Tipp’s most important players.
The Cahir club-woman has made a habit of defying the natural order. She shouldn’t have thrived on the Bellefield turf. The ball wasn’t coming her way, the play wasn’t oriented in her direction. But she ultimately contrived to produce a brilliant individual performance, picking up more possession than perhaps any other player on the pitch. Howard was electric, and so were Tipp, particularly in the opening thirty-plus minutes. Afterwards, the Cahir woman couldn’t hide her satisfaction. She was as content with Tipperary’s collective performance as she was with her own individual display.
“We were delighted with the performance, our first-half performance especially,” she admitted.
“I really do think we were excellent in the first-half. It was as good as we’ve played all season. But that’s the standard we can reach, and it’s the standard which we shoot for every time we play. But it’s brilliant to be part of a team that’s playing like that, it’s really enjoyable, it really is.
“The mood is great in the camp, and we had some great performances again on Saturday, some great individual contributions. Even if you just look at our work-rate - hooks and blocks and things like that. I think we’ve performed really well in that regard.”
Howard is right. Work ethic is often what separates the best from the rest at inter-county level and on Saturday Tipp were a cut above Wexford in that respect. They worked ferociously, both on and off the ball, generating several critical turnovers which ultimately led to scores.
In Howard’s own individual case, she spent the early stages as a peripheral figure, playing on the margins and struggling to really grasp hold of possession. But the Cahir woman is experienced. She is streetwise enough to know exactly how to involve herself in this type of a game, even when the flow of the ball is elsewhere.
“When you’re playing at the top level, you’re never guaranteed possession,” she added.
“Some games you may not get the ball for a certain period of time, so to get yourself into the game, it literally goes back to the basics, it goes back to getting a hook in, getting a block in, getting on the breaking ball. And that’s the way I’ve found that I can bring myself into the game, to get those things right.
“You kind of have to have a focused mentality. You can’t start kicking yourself if the ball isn’t coming your way. You can run after a player, make a recovery run, get a turnover in, those are things that you have to focus on doing, particularly if the game isn’t going your way. Those are the things that keep you going.”
Somewhat predictably, Howard is relishing this weekend’s encounter against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park. The prospect of challenging the All-Ireland champions on their own home turf should be intimidating, but Howard sees it differently. Saturday’s game is, she says, a crucial opportunity to see how Tipp fare against the best in the business, and perhaps even secure direct qualification to a semi-final.
Were Tipp to defeat Kilkenny, it could potentially send the All-Ireland champions plummeting out of this year’s competition - which would rank as an almighty shock to camogie observers everywhere.
But Tipp are focused on their own story. They know a semi-final is now within their grasp and they’ll do everything in their power to reach it. Last Saturday was good. This Saturday could be even better.