Contrast in application from Cork’s last two visits

Every great Oak tree comes from a small acorn and if this Tipperary team goes onto achieve success in the coming years, it may well be this game on February 22nd, 2025, that they’ll look back to as the bringing point.

By Shane Brophy

No one will be getting carried away by a fourth round National League win over a Cork side shorn of some key personnel who will likely feature when the sides cross paths again in the Munster Championship in nine weeks’ time.

For all the league tends to be downplayed by managers, there are always certain games that mean more than most and this was another for Tipperary. Round 1 against Galway was the first as it was important to set the tone in terms of performance, and they got the win to go with it. Round 2 against Wexford was important to build on that win, plus protect home advantage.

Last Saturday against Cork was another, helped by a large home support who played their part in maintaining their winning start at Tom Semple’s Field, and maintaining it will be important to start making it a difficult place to come to for all visiting teams going forward.

Not only that, the scars from the last time Cork came to Thurles last May and handed Tipp a demoralising eighteen point defeat, needed to be healed somewhat and to some extent they were. There were a lot of elements missing in the second half of that game when Tipperary were not only outplayed, but their spirit broke.

This Tipperary team still has a lot of developing to do, but in rebuilding any team, the first building block has to be spirit, workrate, and making themselves hard to beat. The Tipperary team that lost to Cork last summer wasn’t in the manner of the teams Liam Cahill put out on the field at minor and under 20/21 level, last Saturday night it was.

The workrate was high, and it was sustained right to the very end, when Barry Hogan put his body on the line to come out and prevent Brian Hayes from possibly get a late goal which might have given Cork an opportunity to leave Thurles with something.

Hogan’s performance between the posts, between shot-stopping, two excellent saves from Shane Barrett, and his puckouts, has put the pressure back on Rhys Shelly with Liam Cahill stating that he’ll be making a call on who their number one keeper would be after four games with both getting two games each.

Rhys Shelly sustained a back injury in a challenge game against Galway recently which prevented him from togging out on the bench with under 20 goalkeeper Eoin Horgan standing in, so it may well be Hogan pushes in front if he gets the nod against Kilkenny.

Defensively, Tipp were under pressure in the early going, particularly Robert Doyle who found Jack O’Connor elusive, but he rose to the challenge, despite being yellow carded in the second half. It shows the belief the management have in the corner back that it was Bryan O’Mara called ashore when Michael Corcoran was sent on in the final quarter, with Doyle coming out with one big ball and winning a free which lifted the pressure.

Michael Breen’s form this year has been superb and is relishing his new role as shutting down the oppositions key player with big Brian Hayes largely ineffectual with his goal more down to Shane Barrett’s class in the build-up.

Barrett’s pace and hard running was Cork’s chief attacking threat, particularly in the first half when he drifted into space to good effect, but Ronan Maher slowly got to grips with him and went onto produce a man of the match performance, and without stats to back it up, it seemed as if he had more possessions than any other Tipp player on the field.

The management are also keen on Joe Caesar, and it was further in evidence by the fact that that available for the first time after injury, he went straight into the starting line-up to make his senior debut, and while he was largely understated in what he did, it was a start he can be happy with.

After a tough outing against Limerick, Willie Connors and Craig Morgan were paired in midfield again for the third time in four games, and performed well, particularly Morgan whose willingness to get up and down the field is why the management see a role for him in the middle, epitomised by his part in creating the second goal which broke the game open for Tipperary.

The goal came at a time when the home side reeled off 1-3 without reply, answering a four point run from Cork who had drawn level, and real test was posed to Tipperary, would they wilt or dig in. It was the latter which is hugely significant for the players to know that in every game, an opponent will have a purple patch, but it’s how you react and respond that says a lot.

The introduction of fresh blood helped with Oisin O’Donoghue putting in a big shift after coming on, taking his point well, while Dylan Walsh finished his goal clinically, while he also made the ball stick better than Sean Kenneally, but will be disappointed to have been blocked down twice by Ger Millerick who finished well after enduring a tough time on Darragh McCarthy in the first half.

After a relatively quiet first three games in open play, McCarthy announced himself nationally with a superb first half display with eight points, five from play. The quality of the ball going in was good, but he also was alert when chances presented themselves with both he and Jason Forde sharp, with Sean Kenneally given little lee-way by Niall O’Leary and was called shore at half time.

However, it was the half-forward line that was the winning of the game for Tipperary. Many see Alan Tynan as a midfielder but what he brought on Saturday is what the management want from the Roscrea clubman, a combative player, who might give away something in inches, but has the spring from his rugby days as a full back to attack the high ball, with he along with Gearoid O’Connor to the fore in that regard, the latter building on his strong college campaign with a three point haul from play.

Jake Morris scored what is a typical Morris goal, running onto a Tynan pass and finishing clinically. He found it difficult to get possessions in the first half but his workrate and leadership in the second half was superb, drifting back into the midfield to get possessions and set-up attacks.

There weren’t too many downsides from the night, apart from failing to score in the last ten minutes of match time, but defensively they were strong in that period, holding Cork to just two points as they piled on the pressure.