Kelly pleased as they look to Kilkenny

By Thomas Conway

Denis Kelly wouldn’t describe himself as a miracle worker, but whatever the Toomevara clubman has done to this group of Tipp players, he appears to have transformed them.

Twelve months ago, this same team were staring down the barrel at an early championship exit, their campaign cut short by a series of underwhelming performances. A year on and Tipperary are riding high, swishing aside opposition teams with the minimum of fuss, delivering performances that have earned them a reputation as All-Ireland contenders.

Kelly has been aided by certain key factors, such as the return of crucial players, but the Tipp boss and his surrounding team deserve ample credit. They’ve turned Tipperary into a formidable force, a juggernaut that seems to be picking up speed with each passing week.

Reflecting on Saturday’s victory over Wexford, Kelly was satisfied and content. Neither him nor his players underestimated this Wexford outfit. This was a high-calibre side, coming off the back of a spectacular last-ditch come-back against the All-Ireland champions. Wexford, down in Enniscorthy, was always going to be a challenge. And yet Tipp simply brushed them aside, as if the whole Nowlan Park thing had never happened. Tipp emerged as comfortable victors, and Kelly emerged a satisfied man.

“It was a good performance, without a doubt,” he began.

“Any day you go to Wexford and win by that margin is definitely a good day. You have to be happy with it.

“I suppose we had a good first-half and that gave us a platform. Maybe we dipped a bit in the second, but I think Wexford probably brought more intensity to the play. But in fairness to the girls, they withstood that and then they kicked on towards the finish. So overall, very happy, yes, it was a good day out.”

The big question now is whether or not Tipp can take it to the next level, the level of champions. They face Kilkenny this Saturday evening in Nowlan Park, a game the hosts effectively have to win to prevent an early elimination from the competition. Imagine that - the All-Ireland champions eliminated at the group stage. It’s a distinct prospect, and one which Kelly has no qualms about either.

The Tipp boss wants his side to top the group, and potentially secure a direct passage to the semi-finals. Should that prospect materialise, Tipp would have the added benefit of an additional rest week, something which Kelly feels is crucial given the intensity of this year’s championship as a whole.

“We’re definitely in a good position. It’d be nice to top the group if we could, to go straight through to an All-Ireland semi-final,” he added.

“That would give us a week off as well, a rest week, which could be very important in the long-run. We’ve had quite an intense run of games so that makes something like a rest week all the more valuable.”

Tipp play a fluid, dynamic brand of camogie, a game which revolves around quick touch passing and off the shoulder movement. Ultimately, however, Kelly is unequivocal about their core objectives. They want to supply their inside forward line with as much ball as possible, irrespective of whether that means playing through the lines or taking a more direct approach.

“In terms of our gameplan, our aim, I suppose, is to get the ball into the inside forward line as much as possible, as quickly as possible. We know that’s where we’re a real threat. We have danger inside, so we’re looking to maximise that. There’s no point dilly-dallying with the ball out the field when we have the likes of Cáit (Devane) and Grace (O’Brien) in our inside line. So that has been the plan all along and fortunately we managed to execute it again last Saturday.”