What answers will Tipp have for the Limerick question?

GAA: Allianz National Hurling League Division 1B Round 4 Preview

By Shane Brophy

LIMERICK v TIPPERARY

Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork

Saturday, 9th March

Throw-in @ 7.35pm

Referee: Liam Gordon (Galway)

Tipperary’s newly slimmed down panel enter close to championship mode this week as they prepare to take on Limerick in a crucial game in the National Hurling League on Saturday night.

Their plans have changed somewhat in that a relatively short trip to the TUS Gaelic Grounds has been extended with the game now being played at SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork.

Following a rumour that started circulating last week that the game would not be taking place at the Ennis Road venue, Limerick County Board confirmed this on Friday, stating: “last December, upgrading works of the playing surface at the TUS Gaelic Grounds were carried out. However, in light of the current inclement weather conditions and low temperatures the pitch is not ready to facilitate such a game.”

It would then appear that the game was offered to Tipperary to host at FBD Semple Stadium but the pitch wasn’t in a fit state to host the game with the senior footballers clash with Waterford having to be moved from Thurles to Bansha last Sunday, but it was felt that an extra six days would not make it playable.

With the Limerick v Tipperary game having live television coverage on RTE2 on Saturday evening, an alternative venue, along with capacity, needed floodlights with Pairc Ui Chaoimh, the only logical option which will likely discommode both sets of supporters making a longer trek to Cork on a Saturday night.

However, for both sets of players it is another game, but a big one at that, in the race to qualify for the league semi-finals, but also with one eye on the championship with Limerick being Tipperary’s first opponents on April 28th.

Tipperary haven’t beaten Limerick competitively since the 2019 Munster Championship round-robin clash where the Shannonsiders rested some key players. The Premier have been competitive in the meantime, including draws in the 2021 league and 2023 championship and would take a draw again to all but book their place in a semi-final. However, another defeat would leave Tipperary vulnerable to missing out even if they were to beat Antrim in their final game, as should Galway then beat Limerick in the final round, all three teams would be on eight points and currently Tipperary’s score difference is the more inferior of the three, and a thirty point win over Antrim would appear unlikely.

However, that aspect will be far from the Tipperary players minds this week as it will be all about getting a win which would be massive in their development, particularly considering Limerick are likely to have their strongest team at their disposal, with ten of their All-Ireland winning team starting in the win over Dublin last time out with the likes of Aaron Gillane and Seamus Flanagan yet to appear and could feature this Saturday night.

While Tipperary manager Liam Cahill has shrunk his panel following the win over Westmeath but has not disclosed it publicly, it is believed that Joe Fogarty, Cian O’Dwyer, Jack Ryan, Padraig Campion, Conor Whelan, and Enda Heffernan have not been retained. Heffernan is particularly surprising considering he is a robust defender who can play in the full and half-back lines, but those are positions where Tipp look well stocked at the moment.

Off the back of making fourteen changes for the win over Westmeath, it will have been four weeks on from the Galway clash from where the players involved in that game will be well rested, plus Jake Morris and Bryan O’Mara, who limped out early in that game with minor hamstring knocks, are available for selection provided they have sustained no set-backs in the mean-time.

In this regard, we should get a hint of who of Rhys Shelly or Barry Hogan is in the lead for the goalkeeper position, is Ronan Maher the full-back for the year, is Robert Byrne the centre-back they are going with, what is the best attacking line-up now that all the players are back?

Tipperary's team for the game was announced on Thursday night with eleven changes made from the win over Westmeath with Seamus Kennedy, Brian McGrath, Conor Stakelum and Jason Forde the only players to retain their places while there is a first appearance of the campaign for Paddy Cadell in midfield joining Eoghan Connolly who returns from injury.