Final game is far from a dead-rubber for Tipp

7 changes made to the Tipperary senior hurling team to face Clare

GAA: Munster Senior Hurling Championship Round 5 Preview

By Shane Brophy

TIPPERARY v CLARE

FBD Semple Stadium

Sunday, 26th May

Throw-in @ 4.00pm

Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick)

Tipperary have nothing to play for against Clare on Sunday, but they have everything to play for. The Premier County might be already eliminated from the championship with the ignominy of a game to spare, but pride is at stake once again, as well as the integrity of the competition as opponents Clare have everything to play for.

“What’s on the line is our good name and the integrity of the Munster championship,” said Tipperary manager Liam Cahill following Sunday’s defeat to Cork.

“It’s a brilliant product, the Munster championship is a serious competition, and we have to respect that. We have to bring our best performance next Sunday against Clare.

“We’ll analyse it, we’ll look back, it’ll make hard viewing but that’s what we do. We go back and try and be better.”

The Ballingarry clubman has insisted throughout this campaign that Tipperary are still in a rebuilding phase, even if year 2 under his stewardship has seen things go backwards, and with a look to next year, he hinted that youth will get its fling against Clare.

“We’ll try and blood as many of the younger players that are on our panel and give them a taste of what proper senior inter-county championship is about,” he revealed.

“That’s why we’ll be here next Sunday. I know Clare are going to be coming with all guns blazing because they have to qualify for a Munster final. It’s a daunting task but we are where we are. We have to roll up our sleeves and ensure we give a good account of ourselves and represent the jersey properly.”

One wonders does that mean that we have seen the last of the likes of Noel McGrath and Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher who have given such sterling service to Tipperary at senior level over the last fifteen years. While by no means pushing them towards the exit door considering both are still younger than the likes of Patrick Horgan, TJ Reid and John Conlon who continue to play to a high level for their respective counties, one wonders will they stick around with no realistic expectation of success in sight in the short term at least.

You would also wonder about what the future holds in store for the likes of Cathal Barrett, Dan McCormack, and Jason Forde, by no means old at the age of thirty, but have a lot of miles on the clock over the past decade or so.

In that respect, it is a game that Tipperary supporters should be if some of the players I have mentioned don the blue and gold for the last time on Sunday. The teams struggles over the last two years won’t define them for their contributions.

Still, for this game, Liam Cahill has to strike a balance between bringing in young blood but not leaving his side devoid of too much experience against a Clare side that would love nothing more than piling more pain on Tipperary and making the rebuild even harder and longer.

They have threats all move the field with their movement and ability to drift into pockets of space akin to what Tipp did under Eamon O’Shea’s coaching.

Motivation will be hard this week for the players but for those looking to make the breakthrough this will be a massive opportunity. If Liam Cahill continues to be the Tipperary manager next year, the mentality of those that prepare and perform in a professional manner will go a long way to determining who he can trust to build a team around next year.

This is why Sunday’s game is so important for Tipperary. If they feel sorry for themselves and go through the motions, it would be a low that will take a long time to recover from. They only have to look to twelve months ago when Waterford came to Thurles in a similar position, and produced a performance and victory that arguably saved Davy Fitzgerald’s job and gave them some impetus going into the following campaign. Tipperary need the same but the worry is do we have the leaders and characters on the field to do that?