Cahill points to progress as Limerick remain Tipp’s kryptonite

By Shane Brophy

Tipperary have completed the first half of their Allianz National Hurling League schedule and as they head into a weekend off with four points from a possible six, they would have taken than before the start.

However, Limerick once again remain their kryptonite as the Shannonsiders, despite featuring less than half of what might be considered their first choice team, were too good for a Tipperary side who you could argue were not far off full strength when the sides meet in the first round of the Munster Championship on Easter Sunday.

Last Sunday, there were once again the old failings of a slow start to the second half and struggling to score from play against them in the closing stages, but overall Tipperary competed much better in the physical stakes, which is a crumb of comfort to take from the game.

“We’re not the first over the last seven, eight, nine years, to have struggled in the physical stakes with Limerick but today we moved that ball a little bit better and tried to avoid contact as much as possible and trust our hurling a bit more,” said Tipperary manager Liam Cahill after the game.

“Definitely, that’s the route we’ll be really going to concentrate on as the weather gets better and that ball gets drier and faster. That’s our traits. But definitely overall where we are at the moment with the conditioning of this team, I’m very, very happy.”

Such is the competitive nature of the new seven-team division 1 structure that despite winning their first two games, the key aim remains to retain their top tier status for next year with at least one more win required from their final three games against Kilkenny, Clare, and firstly at home to Cork on Saturday night week.

“To be fair in the first block of this league there have been some green shoots,” Cahill admitted.

“We just have to continue to keep them blossoming as we head into the rest of the league.

“There’s a couple of little muscle injuries and strains there after rounds 1 and 2 with young Sam O’Farrell and Dylan Walsh. Conor Stakelum will be hopefully back in a couple of weeks’ time.

“We have plenty of options but it’s to get that exposure into these players without ripping up the script too much as well because we need to make sure that we have a strong spine to our team each day we go out, and especially now with the real big guns – Limerick today was a big gun, but you’re Cork, All-Ireland contenders, Kilkenny in Nowlan Park, and then obviously the visit of Clare, the All-Ireland champions, as the last round.

“It’s fairly ferocious and whatever we learned today, I guarantee you we’ll learn a lot more before this league is out.”