London’s power-plays exposes short-comings of new look Tipp
By Michael Dundon
It may be the lowest tier in inter-county football but division four of the Allianz National Football League is every bit as competitive as the higher echelons.
No county wants to be in it. All have promotion in focus. You have to scrap for every point. There are no soft touches.
Tipp were given a rude reminder of this Saturday when they lost frustratingly to a London side, they were capable of beating. It was their first defeat in four games in a campaign that had football fans talking about promotion.
Earlier wins over Longford and Waterford and a draw with Carlow put Tipp in the promotion frame but Saturday’s setback against London has dampened expectations. Crucially though, Tipp’s fate still is in their own hands but, with a visit to Limerick next week, and trysts with Wicklow and Wexford to follow, securing division three status is not going to be easy.
The Wexford v Wicklow game fell foul of the weather last weekend, as Limerick got the better of Carlow to join Tipperary on five points behind table-toppers Wexford on six, and with a game in hand. London and Wicklow are hot on Tipperary’s heels on four points, Wicklow having a game less played, but Carlow and Longford, each with three points are within striking distance and by no means out of the race. All these tam are capable of taking points off each other.
After last year’s disastrous league and championship debacle, new Tipp manager Philly Ryan has a daunting task facing him as he seeks to revive the county’s fortunes. The glory of the Munster success of 2020 is consigned to history. Most of that squad are no longer on the scene so the Clonmel Commercials clubman has had to trawl the county for new players and then plan their development.
It is not an easy task – one not helped by the Tipp’s poor record in underage football in recent years. Last year’s underage teams raised hopes but the step from underage football to senior action is immense, and many promising talents will inevitably fall by the wayside. That is the reality.
With a host of young players making their senior inter-county debuts in this league, Tipperary have probably boxed above their weight in the early stages of the league but the evidence from those games suggests that Tipp are good enough to advance to division three.
Whether they achieve that or not will depend on how they react to setbacks like last Saturday’s when they failed to turn territorial advantage into match-winning scores. Also, their naivety in defending coughed up two goals to London in six minutes in the first half was very costly.
No doubt, Philly Ryan will be addressing the hesitancy in defence which allowed London wingback Kristian Healy to run half the field unchallenged in the first half before parting to a colleague for London’ second goal.
Likewise, London’s first goal, when Ciaran Diver careered through three watery Tipp tackles to blast home. Those lapses had nothing to do with players’ ability – rather they stemmed from inexperience, failure to recognise the danger as it developed, and to deal effectively with it.
Of concern too is the heavy dependence on Sean O’Connor for scores. The Commercials’ clubman duly obliged with nine points. Mark Russell contributed three from midfield. A five points return for the rest is simply not good enough.
Tipperary’s build-up when in possession is too pedestrian and allows opposition defences to close off all avenues to goal before the shooters get within range.
Obvious perhaps, but not so easy to address as the levels of fitness and athleticism necessary to reach required standards, takes time to develop. In a young, inexperienced squad this will not happen overnight. Patience and perseverance are called for.
Of immediate concern now is the game against Limerick this Saturday in Rathkeale. This was always going to be a serious test of how the new Tipperary team is progressing.
Tipp have always found the Shannonsiders difficult to beat, and this meeting will be no different. Neither side can afford another defeat. Both have dropped three points. A further loss will surely scupper the chances of the defeated making the top two spots and promotion.
Tipperary were without skipper Steven O’Brien for the London game. He is having treatment for a quad injury but while he may not figure in the starting line-up against Limerick, it is hoped he will be able to play a part at some stage.
In such an inexperienced team, the availability of a player of his stature and quality cannot be underestimated, particularly as Tipperary do not have the depth in their squad right now to compensate for absences of that calibre.
Limerick will take great heart from their win over Carlow and will probably be fancied to win both points, but Tipperary are gelling nicely together under the new management and can come away with desired result.