Woodlock lauds special group
By Shane Brophy
When preparing a team for any game, you try and cover all eventualities but thirteen players against fifteen after 26 minutes would be on the extreme end of the scale.
However, that came to pass for Tipperary on Saturday evening and the manner in which they overcame every obstacle didn’t surprise manager James Woodlock.
“What do you do, you just go after it and trust the players to do it,” he said.
“They have huge belief, huge heart, huge desire. I knew they wouldn’t die, they never die, similar to the team two years ago, the same traits are in them again, they kept battling away and came through, having one man sent off but two sent off early in the game was a bitter pill to swallow.”
Woodlock revealed they had prepared in training for playing at a numerical disadvantage, including in a tactical sense, but was critical of the first red card to dismiss Cillian Minogue after just seven minutes.
“To be fair, before it happened, I had already called the linesman (on his side) that number 4 was hanging out of Cillian Minogue, and nothing was done about it,” Woodlock revealed.
“You are probably talking about inexperienced people doing a job as well as they have a job to do and normally, I leave them alone.
“It looked harsh and look, you deal with that, but for the second one to come on top of it that is a fair sucker punch.
“It is my job as manager and that of the management team, to have their eyes open to every eventuality, and we had played those games in training 16 v 14, 16 v 13, 15 v 13, and were able to move the ball and we did it.
“They (Kilkenny) had opportunities, but we also had four opportunities at the end of normal time to put it away, and we hit the post as well and it didn’t look like it was going to be our day, but they stayed in the fight all day long.”
The Drom & Inch clubman admitted that he didn’t know if the players could stay going in extra time, particularly as they couldn’t return to fifteen men following the extra time rule change which came into force this year.
“The boys emptied themselves, they promised themselves when the two boys were sent off that they would do it for them,” he added.
“We felt aggrieved, but you cannot do anything about it only roll with the punches and the boys did that.
“The one thing that stood to us was our fitness, but the heart of the boys as well, Adam Ryan was out on his feet, and we just asked him to stand in the number 10 position and puck the ball down on top of him and win the breaks off him and we did that.
“We spoke about it all week that we were coming down here to go after them. Even with thirteen men we pushed and pushed and pushed, we didn’t sit back. It is a risky game to play but the boys are fantastic hurlers, and they brought the attitude as well.”
There has been a lot said about the disappointing levels of support for Tipperary teams this year but on Saturday they really got behind the team in adversity and Woodlock was keen to acknowledge it.
“I can’t thank the Tipp support enough,” he added.
“We definitely outnumbered them, and when we needed the support and help, they came to the fore for us.
“I am delighted to win an All-Ireland down here, Tipp hurling needed it. They are a great bunch of lads. We need to mind them and look after them with an S&C program going forward, with the bunch from two years ago, which are under 20’s for next year, the future is bright.
He added: “We are all Tipp men and I want Tipperary to do well. I have gotten great years out of Tipp and am delighted the players gave it back to the supporters tonight because we needed it in Tipp, we all know that.
“The boys never let each other down all year; the Munster Final was a fantastic game the way we won it and today was even better, in Kilkenny’s back yard, everything against us, the boys never wilted.
“There are special players in that group, and we need them for Tipp hurling. It’s my responsibility to prepare them and it is their responsibility to do it on the field of play and they did that.”