Long off-season ahead for Tipp following disappointing campaign

In the end, it was almost a relief. A relief that Tipperary didn’t suffer another morale suffering defeat on home soil, a relief that this senior hurling campaign was over.

By Shane Brophy

If the conclusion of last years championship at the All-Ireland quarter final stage left a lot of introspection for the lengthy off-season, it will be the that and more this time round as Tipp exited this 2024 championship winless, the third time this has happened in five iterations of the round-robin format, and a winless streak extended to seven games in the province, going back to when they defeated Clare in Ennis at the start of the 2023 championship when the Liam Cahill era started with plenty of fizz.

Last Sunday was never likely to be anything but another defeat, Clare had too much to play for in terms of booking a return ticket to Semple Stadium for a Munster Final next month, to take their eye off the ball and while they had to endure a nervy spell towards the end, they were full value for their victory.

That Tipperary threatened to snatch something late on is credit to the players whose mettle was questioned after the collapse against Cork seven days previous. When Clare eased into an eight point lead after 48 minutes (another third quarter failure which has been a theme throughout the year) you feared the worst but a combination of the visitors taking their foot off the gas, which they are prone to do, plus improved Tipperary play made sure it was a contest right until the final puck when Tipp had one last attack for force an equalising goal which came to nothing.

In the end, being content with a narrow loss is a sad indication of where Tipperary are at, at the moment. Mentors and players have given their all in terms of preparation, but the premier haven’t been that this campaign.

Sunday’s contest further exposed the gap there is between Tipp and an All-Ireland contender that is Clare. Even in the first half when Tipp led for large portions, and the likes of Jake Morris and Sean Kenneally were taking the game to Brian Lohan’s men, there was always the sense it wasn’t built on solid foundations.

With seven changes from the defeat to Cork, there was a look to the future with Johnny Ryan, Kenneally and Andrew Ormond getting starts. Ryan had a tough first half as Tipp tried both him and Craig Morgan on the outstanding Shane O’Donnell but what defender has managed to slow him down in recent years.

Kenneally’s three points and never-say-die approach will make him a crowd favourite to come, maybe filling the void left by Patrick Maher, who along with Noel McGrath, were sent into the fray in the second half for what could be their final appearances in the blue and gold jersey after distinguished careers, and if it is, they deserve the most immense gratitude.

Andrew Ormond has talent and potential but asking him to make an impact in a team that was sending in poor quality ball for the most part, doesn’t get the best out of him, however, he never stepped back from the battle.

For those that will be part of trying to right the ship next year, it won’t be an easy fix or indeed a motivator to get back into Dr. Morris Park next November, but Tipp will have to start somewhere and in the likes of Eoghan Connolly, thrown in at the last minute for Michael Breen who rolled an ankle in the warm-up, he stuck to his task after a difficult start on Aidan McCarthy but was much more forceful after the break.

Jake Morris revelled in the extra space at centre forward with four points from play and was also unerring with seven frees after assuming the role following Gearoid O’Connor’s substitution after just 27, following another ineffective performance.

That there was a response to going eight points down is to their credit, but the players couldn’t afford to fall away for the second week in a row as their mentality would be questioned in the long term.

However, this team needs a lot of improvement. With such an overhaul of the starting fifteen, a complex gameplan was hard to put together in a week, but even in the first half when going toe-to-toe on the scoreboard with Clare, the strategy was pretty basic, Barry Hogan long puckout on top of Gearoid O’Connor or long angled ball. That’s fine, but for it to work you, if you cannot win it in the air, it need players to hit the breaks in a ravenous fashion and Tipp didn’t do that.

In those tight exchanges, Clare were just too sharp, even those occasions when they managed to put on pressure, Clare were able to win the ball at the second time of asking. Their power off the spot and nimble footwork were a huge asset, as well as their power and athleticism where they were able to break the tackle comfortably, where even the smaller player in David Reidy was able to hold up a much bigger man in Brian McGrath in the second half.

Clare’s use of their possession was also much better, excellent in their ability to change the point of attack and find the open spaces, which is how wing-back Diarmuid Ryan was able to get forward to score 1-1.

They were also very adept at being able to draw out the Tipperary half-backs to clear space to play ball into for their inside forwards where Aidan McCarthy and Shane O’Donnell were a thorn, the latter having Craig Morgan and Johnny Ryan both on yellow cards by half time.

Bar Diarmuid Ryan’s goal, Tipp’s rearguard was pretty solid with Ronan Maher again to the fore but at the other end, to force a shock result, Tipp rarely threatened a green flag they needed.

However, their overall play was much better in the final quarter final, greater confidence on the ball to make the right decisions in possession and it led to some good scores. They can do it, it’s about having the confidence, belief, and athleticism to sustain it.

Manager Liam Cahill remains confident that there is much more to come heading into his third year, but the pressure is certainly on both him and the players going into 2025.