Mullaney extols virtue of the panel

By Thomas Conway

It’s now nine years since Wexford won their last All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship - their 2012 final victory over Cork marking the culmination of a golden era which saw the Model County complete an historic three-in-a-row of All-Ireland titles.

Prior to that, the last team to achieve such a feat was the illustrious Tipperary side of the early 2000’s, which lifted the O’Duffy Cup on five occasions between 1999 and 2004, their run of success interspersed by a surprise defeat to Cork in the 2002 final. Both counties entered a somewhat dark period following the glory days of Deirdre Hughes and Ursula Jacob, with Wexford reaching its lowest ebb back in 2019, when an existential crisis meant that the Slaneysiders were unable to field a team for a Division One League game against Cork.

However, recent years have created a more promising outlook, and judging from events on the field last Sunday, with both Tipperary and Wexford are intent on retrieving their status as camogie powerhouses. That said, Tipperary are at a more advanced stage in their progression, something which was evident following last Sunday’s encounter in Thurles. One of the most notable aspects of Tipp’s performances this year has been their ability to adapt to different circumstances at different times, adjusting both their game-plan and their personnel in order to cope with the challenge at hand. Sunday was a prime example, and in the aftermath of the game, manager Bill Mullaney praised his players for this tactical versatility.

“When we got going, we did tighten up, and I thought we got sharper as the game went on,” he said.

“Initially they were very good at cutting out the space and compressing everything. But we absorbed it well - we made changes and we adjusted to the play, got people on the ball and took advantage of any space.”

The key component of this versatility is strength in depth, an asset which Mullaney and his management have worked hard to develop in recent years. Tipp opted to make five changes to the starting fifteen following last week’s win over Limerick, which some might consider an audacious move, given that the side still required either a win or a draw in order to top the group.

In reality however, these changes were never going to weaken the side - they simply altered the dynamic, equipping Tipp to play a different type of game to the previous week. And of course, the impact of the substitutions which entered the fold in the second-half was considerable - Ereena Fryday delivered a match-winning performance from the bench, while Clodagh McIntyre also lit up the play, finishing with 1-1. Mullaney acknowledged that players will inevitably feel frustrated when excluded from the team, but they remain integral to this Tipperary side, and may well find their services are required at a later date.

“Look, I keep saying it, it’s about the panel, it’s a panel game,” he stressed.

“And we’re not keeping everybody happy, I know, but that’s just the way the game is. If we could bring on all fifteen at half-time then we would, but you need a panel. Whether it’s the men, the ladies football, the whole lot - it’s a panel game now, a 20/30 person game, and everybody just has to buy into that.”