Brave performance by Tipperary goes unrewarded

By Liam Hogan

When Micheal Freaney directed Cian Smiths beautifully flighted ball to the net after 54 minutes, the small Tipperary following at Chadwick Wexford Park on Saturday night must have felt that their hard working fifteen were going to pull off a shock victory.

Afterall, the goal put Tipp seven clear at 1-12 to 0-7. They deserved to be that much in front after a performance worthy of a blue and gold shirt. They were playing their hearts out. It was an amazing display against all the odds. Tipp had a team short a number of first team players with captain Steven O’Brien, Tadgh Condon, Luke Boland, Eoghan Power and Sean O’Connor unavailable due to injury of one sort or another.

This gave manager Philly Ryan the chance to place his thrust on Liam Fahy, Paudie Feehan, Kieran Costello, Mark Stokes, Cian Smith, and Mikey O’Shea. And it nearly worked.

Tipperary are in a building process and Philly Ryan suggested that the mounting injury list gave him the chance to have a look at other players. After a promising start to the league when Tipp went unbeaten after three games before back to back defeats against London and Limerick were a setback. All wasn’t lost because victory over Wexford on Saturday night would have given them a chance of reaching the final provided they also won their last game against Wicklow.

That chance is gone now, and Ryan will use the final league game to blood some more players with an eye on the forthcoming Munster championship game against Waterford on April 5th. Depending on how Tipp fare in the Munster championship there is the Tailteann Cup as a back-up later in the summer.

Ryan was very happy after watching his defence do so well with Manus McFadden Jimmy Feehan, Liam Fahy and Paudie Feehan played well in front of a very reliable goalkeeper Shane Ryan who continues to grow in confidence in goal. Paudie Feehan got Tipp off to a great start with a two pointer after sixty eight seconds.

Emmett Moloney wore the number four jersey but excelled in his role of a roving defender and scored two points.

Elsewhere, Manus McFadden really shone as he kept Wexford veteran Ben Brosnan limited to two points from play which arrived in the last quarter when Tipp were tiring under constant pressure from a confident Wexford attack buoyed by the freshness of the subs bench.

Mark Russell produced another steady display at midfield as did Kieran Costello.

With the back eight producing a steady source of play, there should have been more scores but the loss of Sean O’Connor and Steven O’Brien told and Tipp’s total of 1-12 was pretty low when one compares the very high returns as a result of the new two pointer rule.

Michael Freaney was Tipp’s best forward with Cian Smith also showing. On 51 minutes, Smith scored Tipp’s second two-pointer from a free. Three minutes later, Freaney grabbed the goal.

It seemed as if Tipp were on route to victory, but they failed to score in the final twenty minutes. Fatigue was slowly setting in as Wexford, helped by the fresh legs of Eoin Porter, Glen Malone and Sean Ryan turned on the speed with Malone’s goal giving the home-side great confidence going forward.

They would score 1-6 without reply. Wexford’s ability to run at Tipp was the difference and they had a real marksman in Martin O’Connor, who despite wearing the number four jersey had the five points to his credit.

And yet in that last quarter, the Tipp defence performed some heroic deeds. The crossbar came to Tipp’s defence also and deep into added time it looked as if the game would end in a draw until the wily Ben Brosnan scored the winner in the 73rd minute. It was the first time Wexford were in front.

That final twenty minutes really thrilled the attendance, especially the home support as the Purple and Gold threw everything at the Tipp defence.

There is no doubt that the new rules, whatever their deficiencies, are a step in the right direction. Those final twenty minutes were really fast-pasced, free-flowing, and thrilled the small crowd no end. It’s what the supporters want!

Yes, there are some things one would still like to see erased like lateral passing. Both counties did it and the lateral kick pass has become the norm.

Referee Sean Mulhare had to apply the new rules on two occasions. It happened first in the 31st minute when Wexford goalkeeper Colum Feeney took a kickout from the wrong position and Tipp were awarded a close-range free which Cian Smith scored.

Three minutes later, Welford were penalised for not having three players inside the Tipp half and Cian Smith converted another free.

Rules aside, Tipperary have Wicklow in their final league game on Sunday in Clonmel. They are playing for pride while victory would put them into third place if other games go their way. It would be much better than finishing sixth where they finished at the end of last year’s league.

Tipp’s record in the Allianz League is poor at the moment. In the last three seasons they have played twenty games, won three and drew four and lost thirteen. A twenty-five percent return.

With injuries beginning to clear, the first round of the Munster championship on April 5th cannot come quick enough.