IN ALL FAIRNESS - Camogie Stars in the making
Having three players selected on the 2020 Camogie All-Star team is a massive shot in the arm for the game in the county. The Tipperary Camogie Board, along with club, have been working so hard over the last decade to try and bring back the glory days at senior inter-county level.
It isn’t easy, particularly when Kilkenny, Cork and Galway remain dominant, but Tipperary are closing the gap and while Áine Slattery, Mary Ryan and Karen Kennedy were recognised individually last weekend, the awards were as much recognition for the team on a whole for the progress made.
People might say losing three All-Ireland semi-finals in a row isn’t progress but from where Tipperary were in the early years of the last decade, struggling to win games in the championship, they have come a long way. The underage development squads and minor teams are bearing fresh talent each year and are competitive and that is the least you want from players coming through.
While Covid-19 hit each county hard last year, it hit Tipperary more than most as they missed out on playing in a National League final at Croke Park, as the competition was abandoned. That kind of experience of playing on the big day you can’t buy, and if Tipperary had tasted that, they might have been able to carry it forward into the All-Ireland semi-final against Galway.
In each of the last three years, Cork, Kilkenny, and Galway have ended Tipperary’s All-Ireland campaign at the semi-final stage and each year they look to be getting closer to getting to Croke Park but getting to the top is the hardest part, where you need everything going right for you. Tipperary didn’t have that in 2020 when it came to the semi-final where three of their key forwards, Orla O’Dwyer, Nicole Walsh and Aishling Moloney, were unavailable. No county can afford to be without players of that calibre.
Ultimately it cost Tipperary as it was in attack where they fell short, as the defence was superb, conceding an average of 1-10 per game, and that was recognised in the All-Star team with Tipperary having the best goalkeeper, corner back and centre back in the country. The next step will be generating more scores at the other end to complement the quality of their defending and that is likely to be the focus of manager Bill Mullaney when they regather for the new campaign, hopefully sooner rather than later.
New contract gives Healy options
Such has been the progression made by Ben Healy this season with Munster, it came as no surprise to see him rewarded with his first senior contract last week. While still technically an academy player for another year, tieing the Kilruane man down for another year is a sign of the faith head coach Johann Van Graan has in the out-half, and that was added to last Friday when he got the nod to start against Connacht in what was effectively a PRO14 semi-final at Thomond Park.
Such are the financial restraints on Irish rugby brought about by Covid-19, long term contracts are off the table so one or two year deals are what are on offer. While a one-year contract doesn’t provide much long-term stability for Ben Healy, it does provide him with options come the end of next season.
In a province where Joey Carbery is set to be the first choice out-half, provided his return from injury remains on course, Ben Healy is likely to be challenging with JJ Hanrahan and rising star Jack Crowley for playing time. While Carbery is likely to be away with Ireland for a decent chunk of the seasons if he gets back near his best, he will still play in the big games for Munster, and with Ronan O’Gara rating Jack Crowley as highly as he does, long term Ben Healy doesn’t want to be just getting scraps of game-time against the likes of Zebre in the PRO14.
That Healy came to the attention of the Glasgow Warriors shows the level he is rated but if he is not playing enough top-level games with Munster in the next few years, his career will only stagnate. If at the end of his contract next year he feels he can develop further by moving to another club at home or abroad, then so be it.
The restriction on players overseas not being able to play for Ireland is hurting the national team. While the thinking is sound to keep our best players at home to keep the provinces strong, it does limit the opportunities for up-and-coming players. Look at Leinster last Friday night, missing an entire starting team due to international call-ups and injury, and were still able to easily defeat Ulster who were only missing three frontliners. Yet when the PRO14 final and the Champions Cup come around later this month, most of that team won’t make the match-day squad when the internationals return.
Ulster and Connacht have tended to be the next port of call for fringe Munster and Leinster players but there are so many good players in the country at the moment, four teams isn’t enough, and one wonders if a relaxation can be made on rule of playing abroad, or possibly, re-establishing the link with London Irish, coached by Declan Kidney, where players can play in the Premiership and not be restricted from playing in with Ireland.