IN ALL FAIRNESS - Consistency is key to turning Tipp's fortunes around

It has been the year anyone associated with the Tipperary senior hurlers wanted, players, management, and supporters.

The former two units don’t go through the slog of the November and December sessions in Dr Morris Park to underperform as they did in parts of the league and championship. For whatever reason, it just didn’t happen, and manager Liam Cahill will reflect on the how and why in an effort to ensure Tipp are much more competitive in next years championship.

The Tipp manager did express his annoyance to me over the headline used in this paper last week describing Tipperary as “The Whipping Boys of Munster”. It’s not a nice headline I agree, a line Clare captain Anthony Daly used in 1997 when they defeated Tipp in a Munster Final to win their second title in three years.

However, I stand by it. When you are losing championship games by fifteen and eighteen points to Limerick and Cork respectively, there is no sugar-coating it, facts are facts. Tipperary’s -36 score difference after four games is something you would associate with a so-called second tier counties at the end of a round-robin stage with tier one teams, not a county that is third on the All-Ireland roll of honour.

I would love nothing more than for Liam Cahill to be the man to Tipperary’s fortunes around in the coming years and while there was a lot of comment regarding his response to my legitimate question on Sunday about whether he would be staying on, I loved the fire in his response. I was caught a little by surprise I admit, but I’m a grown man, I can take it!

I knew Liam Cahill had another year to go in his three-term with the possibility of an extension, but the reason for asking the question is things can change, even in the last few weeks when performances and results weren’t what anyone had hoped for. Management terms in the GAA aren’t contracts, a manager can leave at any time, so there was no harm in asking the question which I was also asking on behalf of a lot of Tipperary supporters who would have been wondering the same thing. It’s out in the open now, at least there is no debate about that.

2024 is done now, it’s about learning from what didn’t work in terms of Tipperary’s preparation and on-field performance as to why the players didn’t play up to the level we know they can.

One aspect that was highlighted was Tipperary are still short on athleticism. Bar Ronan Maher, there aren’t too many players that have the physical stature to break a tackle, even a giant of Gearoid O’Connor struggles in that regard, but he is still 24-years-old, and his body is still developing, the same goes for a lot of the players.

When you compared Tipp to the Clare players, they were more lean and powerful, certainly a group of players benefitting from a consistent management over the last five years. The likes of Cathal Malone and David Fitzgerald are players that have really sculpted themselves physically and have turned into such key players in the Clare wheel.

Tipp have to get there still, and with the age profile of the group still young, they still have time. These boys are winners, be it senior, under 20/21 and minor All-Irelands, they are going through a rough patch in terms of results, form, and confidence.

The next few months as the Tipperary management formulate their squad for next year is when Liam Cahill will get to see who are the players he can really rely on. How many will stick at and try and lift the team out of its current situation, or how many will walk away, maybe take a year out to go travelling or opt out altogether.

One thing the management will have to try and do is bring a fresh approach to try and get the best from the players are largely the best in the county. Liam Cahill has been consistent in his comments that what the players are doing in training is of a high standard, but it hasn’t transitioned to big match day enough.

They showed against Waterford they can do it, and for patches in the games against Limerick, Cork, and Clare, but patches aren’t enough at this level, which Liam Cahill alluded to in terms of the consistency that is still missing in terms of performance.

I still believe Tipp’s use of the ball can be much better, as well as more movement to provide options for that, as well as for Barry Hogan’s puckouts which were good when the opportunity arose but too often, he was left with no option but to go long where we remain weak in terms of winning primary possession, be it in the air or on the breaks.

The rawness of this poor campaign will heal in time, hopefully aided by further success for our minors and under 20’s in the coming weeks. There is too much good work going on in the county not for the wheel to turn in Tipp’s favour at some stage.