Tipp need a lot of work heading into Championship

By Stephen Barry

Tipperary’s final-round defeat to Wicklow may have been a dead-rubber but it was far from consequence-free.

The Premier’s failure to get a result saw them finish fifth in Division 4 which means the lowest possible seeding for any potential Tailteann Cup draw.

Third seeding would’ve meant a guaranteed game against one of Carlow, Longford, London, or Waterford. It would’ve also meant avoiding the other third seeds. That pot will include Antrim, who have reached the semi-finals in the past two seasons.

Such seeding considerations aren’t necessarily make or break but the achievement of third-seed status was enough for some Carlow cheer online.

Of course, should Tipp beat Waterford and Clare in Munster, Sam Maguire football would be on the cards. But Philly Ryan has spoken about a Tailteann run as Tipp’s key target to build towards a higher level.

On the evidence of Sunday’s nine-point loss, Tipp have significant ground to make up. Of course, there are many explanatory factors behind the four consecutive defeats, not least losing a handful of senior stalwarts.

Ryan also highlighted some refereeing decisions, and they certainly had a strong case for a black card against Kevin Quinn for impeding Jimmy Feehan’s off-the-ball run midway through the first half. Eoin Morrissey had a conversation with the full-forward but took no action.

The first factor that requires examination, though, is the failure to exploit an extra man for the bones of an hour.

Wicklow had only one kick-out prior to the red card but it became clear in the aftermath that Tipp were persisting with their plan, which worked in limiting Wexford, to concede the restart.

As the Garden goalie retrieved the ball, 12 Tipp players took up positions inside their 45. Six of Wicklow’s seven points after the red card originated from those uncontested kick-outs.

The recent amendments to Gaelic football’s new rules should’ve made the red card even more advantageous. They could’ve pressed 11v10 on the kick-out and forced the keeper to go long into a mismatch. After all, the dismissed player was one of Wicklow’s midfielders. Equally, Tipp should’ve had an 11v10 overload on every attack.

In fairness, they did make that change at half-time, but Tipp were already six points behind.

Wicklow captain Dean Healy wasn’t closed down for his pair of two-pointers and when he was pressed for a finish, he cut inside to assist another brace. Tipp lacked such power and penetration.

When Mark Russell’s heroics got Tipp in position moments after the red card, Mikey O’Shea’s fisted point attempt went wide.

The forward movement was too often absent and even when Cian Smith found himself all alone in an acre of space, he wasn’t spotted by his teammates.

There were more basic errors, though. Three times in the first half, Tipp kick passes missed their intended targets and rolled over the sideline.

With a numerical advantage for the remainder of the first half, Tipp were outscored by 0-4 to 0-9. In the second half, they added the wind to their advantages but were outdone 0-6 to 0-9.

Everything Wicklow scored in the second half came from turnovers. Particularly damaging were two shots dropped short and a misplaced high ball between the 46th and 52nd minutes which allowed Oisín McConville’s side to counter for three points in a row.

When the referee played advantage, Tipp players were urged to take the “free shot” from the sideline but were hesitant to do so.

Even then, Tipp got off more shots than Wicklow as they gave chase. It was just that Wicklow converted 67% of theirs against Tipp’s 35%.

Of the rookies, Shane Ryan and Cian Smith kicked three points each on home soil, Micheál Freaney gave his all, Liam Fahey was busy, and Darragh McVicker could’ve had a debut goal off the bench.

Despite not featuring for most of the final three games, injury-hit Seán O’Connor was still the Division 4 top scorer heading into the concluding round until James Naughton’s sensational 4-12 haul for Limerick. His absence is keenly felt as is that of captain Steven O’Brien.

On top of those leaders who have stepped away in recent years, eight players who began the League as regular starters are out injured. It’s a toll that Tipp simply can’t absorb.

Last year, Paul Kelly handed out fifteen debuts as he scrambled to build a squad. To date, Ryan has gifted debuts to another fifteen players. Like this Wicklow defeat, it underlines the steep learning curve his team are on.