Key players so important to new-look Tipp
By Stephen Barry
When Steven O'Brien spoke at the Munster Championship launch, there was too much of interest between his opinions on the state of Tipperary football and his injury journey to focus on his impression of the new rules.
Initially, he felt Jim Gavin's committee had presented him with a second life as a high-fetching full-forward.
"When I first saw the rules, I would have thought that it was going to be your Kieran Donaghy’s, Michael Murphy-esque type players back at the edge of the square," O'Brien said, "but it's not.
"It's your small, fast, rapid lads in there, because everything you do in there now is a sprint.
"That's one thing that I was surprised by. I thought it was going to be long ball and feed off the breaks but it's not. You've so much space now, it's easier to pick out a pass and you're seeing lads getting out in front."
When asked if he made a pitch for an inside role, O'Brien laughed: "At the start. And after a couple of games when I wasn't getting out in front, I started going back out to the middle third!"
He mightn't fit the prevailing trend, but O'Brien certainly showed there's a role there for him after carrying Tipp to victory over Waterford.
It still wasn't a route-one approach into the big number 14, but he showed all the ball-winning power, movement, and accuracy that the position requires.
The Ballina man scored 1-8 from eight shots, combining the ability to skin his marker for the early goal with the skills to kick two-pointers outside the 45.
In short, it was a demonstration of the difference one totemic player returning from injury can make. Should Tipp get Seán O'Connor back fit and firing, their prospects will begin to look a bit rosier for the ongoing rebuild.
But it would be underutilising O'Brien to limit him to an inside role and Tipp didn't do so here. He was out around midfield to win the first kick-out after a minute as Waterford threatened to piece together a strong start into the wind.
Moments after laying on a point for Darragh Brennan, O'Brien's driven kick pass from deep created a goal chance which saw Paudie Hunt save from Mikey O'Shea.
He did all his scoring in the first half but even approaching his allocated fifty minutes, O'Brien remained influential. He provided the momentum break when Waterford started the second half with back-to-back points, winning the kick-out for a Cian Smith settler. Another skilful take moments later ended with a shot that went wide. His final involvement was a one-two exchange which led to a pointed free.
The reasons behind the reliance on certain core players are clear.
Half of Tipp’s 26-man matchday panel had never featured in Championship before. They gave debuts to Shane Ryan, Jason Madigan, Ben Comerford, Michael Freaney, and Smith, plus Jack O’Neill, Conor Fahey, Billy O’Connor, and Micheál Lowry off the bench.
The only mercy was that Waterford have similar struggles with player retention. Such is the churn in these counties, 19 of the 30 players who started in their 2024 meeting were not involved here. Only one scorer from either side remained.
These teams were well matched for each other. Clare will provide a significant step up in class in the semi-final.
But Tipp's newcomers have shown the ability to step up and learn on the job. Madigan only made his League debut a fortnight ago against Wicklow. He backed that up with an accomplished performance to blot out his opponent, who was booked and withdrawn at half-time. Learning alongside Jimmy Feehan will do his development all sorts of good.
Fresh out of U20, Smith and Freaney showed the benefits of that accelerated promotion. They took on significant shooting responsibilities to return 0-6 and 0-4 respectively.
Smith, in particular, stepped up to the plate as the go-to inside forward in the second half. The Clonmel Commercials prospect took seven shots at the posts, landing five.
Tipp created more than Waterford, with 35 shots against 28. They looked value for their eleven point lead with nine minutes remaining until that inexperience came back to bite them.
They weren't able to get their hands on the ball as easy as before. They were losing breaks and snatching at shots. They created four goal chances in ten minutes and took none. Waterford took theirs in the 63rd minute through Alan Dunwoody and but for Shane Ryan's save, they could've had a second within three minutes.
The Déise tallied the most two-pointers in Division 4 and are well programmed into using that weapon to chase down leads. They gave Wicklow a fright when paring back a fifteen point deficit to a four-point loss. Here, they kicked back-to-back doubles in stoppage time and narrowly missed a third.
It could've all gone wrong, but Tipp dug out a passage of assured passing to see out the closing play with some keep ball. Those are the moments of applied learning Philly Ryan will hope to build on.