IN ALL FAIRNESS - Keep the faith

We have been largely spoiled as Tipperary hurling supporters for the last fifteen years. 3 All-Ireland titles, seven final appearances and six Munster titles, the largest haul since the county’s golden era of the late fifties and early sixties.

It was never going to last forever and just as when the likes of the greats such John & Jimmy Doyle, Michael Maher, Liam Devaney to name but a few began to retire in the last 60’s, we have lost the same in the current generation in Brendan & Paudie Maher, while the likes of Noel McGrath, Seamus Callanan and Patrick Maher are in the twilight of their inter-county careers.

To the vintage Tipperary supporter, this might read that we are in for another famine period as after the golden era came over fifteen years of very little. However, the scars from that time should never be forgotten and is why there needs to be a little optimism that Tipperary won’t be down for long, as without it another barren period will happen.

There is no doubt that the likes of Limerick, Cork and Waterford have passed Tipp out in an underage sense, and we all have a share of blame to take for that. There is a purity among Tipperary hurling that our skill will get us out of difficulty, but modern inter-county hurling is also about physicality, workrate, and tactical awareness. Sweepers are a dirty word in this county but we have to get real that they are a part of the game and if Tipp can’t defend with six backs in a traditional sense, then they need help, and if an extra defender were in place last Sunday against Clare, the first two goals would have been avoided. Sometimes you have to do something to give your team a better chance to win games, even if it is unpalatable to supporters.

Coming out of FBD Semple Stadium last Sunday was as low as I have been coming away from a Tipperary game since the All-Ireland quarter final defeat to Wexford in 2007. Then, as now, you knew that these were Tipperary teams with too many quality players, but just not playing to their potential. When too many key players are out of form, defeats like last Sunday happen.

While Clare were impressive, I’d press on any Banner supporter not to get too carried away. Yes, enjoy the glory of the win over a rival but it was easy to win when Tipperary were so poor, and this isn’t me being hard on the players, it’s just a statement of fact.

Now comes the hard part for Tipperary, turning the ship around. It won’t be easy. Arguably Tipperary haven’t won a game of note since last years Munster semi-final against Clare. They did beat Kilkenny in the league but that game was so poor, Tipp didn’t have to play that well to win.

You would have felt that day that Kilkenny side were the poorest in recent memory and they’d struggle to get out of Leinster. Since then, they have improved significantly and are now favourites for Leinster and are the one side that have the stubborn streak to be the team that brings Limerick down when the time comes.

Kilkenny had a few games in the league to get things going, Tipp have just ten days to pick themselves up to take on Limerick in their own backyard. At the moment, Limerick are 1/8 favourites to win that game, unbelievable odds in a two-horse race. You would think this is the worst time to play them, even accounting for their injuries, but maybe it is the ideal game to focus the minds, as if Tipperary are going to turn things around in the coming years, they need players of substance who are going to dig in when times are tough, and manager Colm Bonner and any subsequent manager will get an idea of the players they can rely on going forward when the going gets tough.

Going back to the start of the column when I mentioned 2007 being the previous low point, within nine months, Tipperary were league and Munster champions. That is how quickly things can change with some positive momentum and more of the players from the 2018 & 2019 All-Ireland U20 & 21 teams bedding in. Those players are still a few years away from their peak, so they have time, provided the current experienced players such as Ronan Maher, Jason Forde, and Michael Breen start providing the leadership and guidance as the likes of Eoin Kelly, Lar Corbett and Brendan Cummins did for the Maher’s, McGrath, Callanan etc…