Disappointed Sullivan points to failing to make full benefit of purple-patch

By Thomas Conway

This isn’t the end of the road for this Tipperary junior camogie team. The players might have been inconsolable at the final-whistle, the atmosphere in the dressing-room might have been swamped in negativity and dejection, but there is always a pathway back. There is always another year.

Securing promotion to the intermediate ranks was Tipp’s core objective for 2023. Despite an outstanding season in which they retained their division 2A league status and won the Munster junior title, they’ve now failed to do that, consigning them to another term in the Premier Junior grade, a level they are well and truly above.

But 2023 has been full of undoubted positives, and Tipperary manager David Sullivan was eager to emphasise that after the show had finally ended in Croke Park last Sunday. The Lorrha man took charge of this group last winter. He was handed a set of targets, a list of objectives, and while Tipp may not have passed the ultimate test, their successes on route to this final deserve to be acclaimed.

“Look, I suppose our goal at the start of the year was to get to an All-Ireland final, and we got there and we’re hugely proud of that,” he began.

“Of course, we wanted to win it, but we’ve still had some year, between the intermediate league and winning the Munster Championship.

“We started training back last November and if anyone had offered us that way back then, we would have snapped their hand off.

“But we’re obviously bitterly disappointed as well - to get that far and to just come up short. You know, when you get to a place like Croke Park on All-Ireland final day you want to take home the silverware. So, it’s disappointing, but it’s also a learning curve and it could be the spark our players need to drive Tipperary camogie on and to drive this team on going forward into next season.”

They say victory is truly forged in the agony of defeat, and perhaps last Sunday’s loss will indeed spur Tipperary onto greater things, just as their manager has suggested. But if they are to bounce back, if they are to climb all the way back to the summit and finally prevail, they will have to learn from Sunday’s events.

Tipp played well, but only in glimpses. They flickered into life early on and started to dominate, but the effect was transient. In Sullivan’s eyes they failed to capitalise on their early purple-patch - in marked contrast to Clare, who effectively wrapped up the game when they finally hit gear in the third quarter. Sullivan has no doubts about it. Had Tipp managed to find the net or even just tag on a few additional points during the early stages, the outcome of this battle could have been very different.

“The key part of this game was, we had a purple patch, and we probably didn’t make the most of it, or get the most out of it, didn’t maximise it,” he felt.

“We were very unlucky not to get a second goal and then thirty seconds later Clare went down the field and put the ball in the back of the net. I think the whole game swung on that.

“In fairness to Clare when they got their purple-patch they made the most of it. But other than that, we were very even, both sides were very even, throughout the whole game.

“But it was just the fact that when they got on top, they made the most of it. When we were on top, we didn’t get that second goal and that could have been crucial. We could and probably should have been eight points up after fifteen minutes because we were hurling outstandingly well.”

Tipperary were indeed hurling outstandingly well, and so too was Ciara Brennan. The decision by referee Bernard Heaney to dismiss the St. Cillian’s centre-forward in the 42nd minute was a crucial juncture in this game. It didn’t exactly define the outcome - Clare had inflicted the bulk of their damage prior to Brennan’s sending off.

It did, however, reduce Tipp’s prospects of a late revival and deprive one of their key players of an opportunity to truly glitter on the biggest stage. O’Sullivan is anxious not to blame the referee for all of Tipperary’s faults and failings, but the Lorrha native remained frustrated about some of the officiating, particularly in relation to both of Brennan’s yellow cards.

“Ciara was having the game of her life,” added the manager.

“She threw over two outstanding scores from the Cusack Stand and was probably one of our best players in that first-half. And she was probably ready to light up the second-half as well before the sending off.

“So, look, it is very disappointing, both for her and for the team - to work so hard and still come out on the wrong side of the result.

“But I think there were a few little inconsistencies in terms of the refereeing - one or two of our challenges were replicated at the other side of the field and probably went a bit unnoticed by the officials. But look, that’s life, there’s no point pointing the finger at referees.

“Clare won, they were the best team on the day and that was it, that was the reality of it. So, we just have to suck it up now and come back stronger from that.”