A performance that needs to become the norm
By Shane Brophy
Ahead of Sunday’s Munster Championship opener, there was a lot of apprehension within the county of could happen against Limerick. There weren’t too many confidently predicting a win or even a draw, particularly off the back of the National League final loss to Cork.
We are in an era of, what have you done for me lately, where the most recent game is the standard. Yes, the National League final didn’t go well, a ten point loss but that was largely from a nineteen minute spell in the game, for the rest of it, Tipp were on a par if not better than Cork.
What was needed on Sunday, among many things, was when the surge came from Limerick, that the damage was limited. One of the key things that would have been stressed at half time when Tipperary held a three point lead was getting off to a strong start in the second half and not allow Limerick to spark as they tend to do in third quarters against Tipp.
But once again it happened, and for whatever reason it keeps happening, whether it is Tipperary mentality weakness, or an innate skill Limerick have to go through the gears but within 51 seconds, Cian Lynch and Shane O’Brien had points on the board and following an Alan Tynan response, O’Brien goaled on 38 minutes and Limerick were in front.
Not only had Limerick the momentum, but they also had the wind behind them, which was worth a few points as Eoghan Connolly showed in the opening half with his long range free-taking, the closest of which was around 75 yards to the longest of over ninety, but he made them all look effortless; a handy string in a bow for a team to have that an opponent cannot foul that far out the field.
How Tipp responded to both Limerick’s goals reaffirmed that there is a greater steel to the team this year. It was evident in the league final in that they didn’t throw in the towel despite being thirteen points down at half time. Things happen in games when a team falls into a hole, be it through their opponents good play or making your own mistakes, it’s how you respond that is important.
It cannot be underestimated how big this performance was for this group of players in terms of instilling greater belief and confidence. Yes, it still wasn’t a win but when you play that well and still trail by a point inside the last minute of added time, you take the draw, and call it a win.
Liam Cahill was right in the aftermath to stress that this performance doesn’t mean Tipp are back. They will be back when they put a string of them together, and that means backing it up in the three games to come, starting in Cork next Sunday.
It has to be remembered that four players were making their senior championship debuts against Limerick, two on the right side of the defence in Robert Doyle and Joe Caesar, and while neither were prominent on the ball, neither were their respective opponents David Reidy and Tom Morrissey.
The other two debutantes were in the attack in Sam O’Farrell who didn’t feature much on the ball but his workrate was huge, before going back to his more natural position of wing back in the second half after Caesar was called ashore.
O’Farrell, along with Darragh McCarthy were backing up after playing the full game for the under 20’s against Clare less than 96 hours earlier but you wouldn’t have known it. McCarthy, in particular, had his toughest outing as a senior in the league final but at such a young age there will always be learnings. However, such is the mentality of the Toomevara clubman you knew he would be the better for it as his two early points from play settled him into the game.
He more than anyone epitomised the steely mentality of the Tipperary performance, not only in his workrate, including two dispossessions, one of which led to a Jake Morris point, but he also shrugged off key misses from frees in the second half, ones he would feel he should be converting, the first following up with a point from play, and then at the very end, standing over a free 45-yards out, into a slight breeze and the hoards on Limerick fans behind the Town End goal, but he held his nerve.
There was a lot to admire about this Tipperary performance, particularly their ability go the distance physically. Limerick’s players were so toned and athletically powerful compared to most of the Tipperary team, the home side were giving a lot away in terms of power, and that was only going to be exacerbated by the wet conditions.
But the players showed little weakness, there were numerous times they struggled to break the tackle in possession or trying to stop a Limerick player on the ball, but they kept plugging away, that’s all you can do until such time as they catch up athletically.
Some can match them in the likes of Eoghan Connolly at full-back who has his hands full with Shane O’Brien who finished with 1-4, although it was Michael Breen who was on the Limerick full-forward for his goal early in the second half. Now if Breen (had a great battle with Gillane) was unable to get close to O’Brien in that position, it shows the calibre of player Limerick have on their hands at the tender age of 21.
Goalkeeper Barry Hogan could have done little about the goal but will feel he could have come off his line quicker for the first goal, the hesitation being enough to allow English to get to the ball first and nonchalantly flick it through the advancing keepers legs. In terms of his puckouts, they were better than against Cork but can be better, although trying to thread the needle against the Limerick press is easier said than done.
Ronan Maher is another well-built to stand up to the power of Limerick, but this was arguably the skippers poorest performance in a Tipperary jersey. He is usually a safe pair of hands in possession but on no fewer than three occasions, he was turned over which ended in Limerick points from play, and he also conceded the late free for a shoulder grab on Aidan O’Connor when there was little danger of a score in the position.
His sub-par performance was off-set by a career best from Bryan O’Mara who finally showed his true capabilities at senior level. The Holycross/Ballycahill clubman has the ability to be a top-class half-back but has frustrated the management in not bringing enough aggression to his play. Well, we finally saw it on Sunday, not only in a defensive sense, completely stifling Gearoid Hegarty, but also getting forward for a point, and also was involved in the outstanding team move for John McGrath’s second goal, not once but twice. This was a display that can take his game to a new level if he takes the belief from it.
Darragh Stakelum’s league final cameo was rewarded with a start in midfield, and despite giving away a lot in terms of size, he didn’t lack bravery in getting on the ball, as did Craig Morgan who was once again excellent, particularly his ability make the right decision on the ball, assisting for at least 1-2 in the game, setting up John McGrath for his first goal.
The Limerick starting fifteen did take many by surprise, even the Tipp management who probably anticipated Kyle Hayes at centre back, rather than William O’Donoghue but they profited with Jake Morris’ display on the forty with four points from play.
The Nenagh clubman played the last two games of the league in the full-forward line, largely to keep opponents guessing as to where he will line up and the great thing is he can be effective in both lines.
In the half forward line, he is Tipp’s best ball-winning asset and if he does on the half turn, there aren’t many defenders who can stop him. It also gives him the freedom to drift into dangerous positions, as he did in the 65th minute but Alan Tynan didn’t see him before shooting wide, as if he did there was a great chance of a goal.
One of the most satisfactory aspects of the performance was seeing John McGrath contributing so effectively. You have to go back to the All-Ireland winning season of 2019 for the last time he showed his true self at this level.
Between injury and loss of form, he has struggled since at inter-county level but there were signs in the league his confidence was returning, particularly against Kilkenny, and that’s why he got the nod for this game, an experienced head to hold the ball up at full forward, however it was his finishing ability in converting the two goal chances which stood out, and with this injection of confidence, an on form McGrath is a huge asset to compliment Darragh McCarthy and Jason Forde in the full forward line.
In his seventeenth championship season, Noel McGrath remains a class act and his impact off the bench in the second half was notable in terms of the composure he brings on the ball and that role could be made for both him and Seamus Kennedy through the course of the championship, while Conor Stakelum’s late cameo is also noteworthy as his industry is a huge asset to the team when on form.
It has to be said that Tipperary benefitted from playing Limerick in the opening round, particularly a the defending Munster champions are not fully bedded in yet, with Barry Murphy making his first championship start at corner back and Colin Coughlan on the wing, despite playing a lot in recent years, as well as relocating Kyle Hayes to the attack.
As the championship goes on, they should get slicker and harder to beat but that’s a problem Tipp will deal with if they meet them again in a Munster Final or in Croke Park, and wouldn’t that be a good problem to have as it will mean they will have finished inside the top 3. That’s still the aim and Tipp are one point closer to achieving that.