Quarter final level is an appropriate benchmark for us right now
By Noel Dundon
“A bird may love a fish, but where would they make a home?
That great line from the hit musical Fiddler on the Roof can be used to cover a lot of bases in life. And, it strikes me as being appropriate this week considering the manner of the elimination of the Tipperary senior hurlers from the All-Ireland series.
Why? Well, the level of negative commentary on social media about the manner of Tipperary’s play and how the Premier County ought not to follow the crowd in the style they adopt, would appear to be at odds with those who promote the modern way of hurling.
Some supporters cannot countenance how Tipperary could allow Galway to take the vast majority of their puckouts without real challenge – the bird, or the modern way of hurling. But then, the fish or the traditionalists want fifteen men on fifteen; no sweepers; horse the ball down on top of the forwards; and let the defenders fight it out with their individual opponents. These are two very different approaches to the game – the bird and the fish – traditionalist versus modernism. And, never the twain will meet as Rudyard Kipling, said in 1892 as he bemoaned the lack of commonality and accord between the British and the indigenous East Indians.
So which style should win out? Common sense would suggest that the style to be utilised should be the one which best suits the players at your disposal. So, that’s a call that each management team must make each year then? Well yes, but you would hope that there is a common thread running through all of the Tipperary teams from development squads to minor to U20 and then through to senior. That is not currently the case though – Brendan Cummins’ U20’s played a far different style to James Woodlock’s minors, for instance. The U20 campaign was a particularly hard watch, but would we have cared had it yielded silverware?
All of these questions are deep and require a lot more space to explore than this column allows. But, the reality is that 2023 has been a poor season for Tipperary hurling. Our minors got nowhere; our U20’s were well off the pace; and our seniors flattered to deceive, though one would have to admit that a lot of progress was made. The curtain came down on a season which promised much across the canvas but the end result is a pretty muddled image which reflects confused impressionist art rather than a colourful landscape where all is right with the world.
Depending on which Liam Cahill interview you listened to after the game, the word ‘disappointed’ featured with varying degrees of regularity. On one medium it was six times while on another it reached eight. Cahill is a man who speaks with openness and honesty – he doesn’t mince his words. Nor can he hide his sense of disappointment when the red light of the recorders switch on. His pain was evident as he faced the media and he reflected the general mood of the county when he articulated his own personal disappointment, that of the backroom team and of the players in the performance.
How many people have said it since – we never got going. We were very flat. To be fair, Galway deserve credit for this too. They recognised Tipperary’s undoubted goal threat and they set up to ensure that green flags opportunities would be few – turns out, we got three but took just one. The Tribesmen had a few of their own too but encountered a Premier custodian in Rhys Shelly who played out of his skin. But for his interventions, Tipperary’s two point ‘hammering’ could have been a lot more on the scoreboard.
So, it’s done for another year. All-Ireland quarter final weekend is our benchmark. Getting out of Munster was the goal and was achieved but beyond that proved a bridge too far. Ambition is a great thing to have, but our ranking right now as a quarter finalist is probably just about on the money – with a lot going right, we could have pushed into the last four, but it wasn’t to be. For the continued evolution of this team, perhaps that is not necessarily a bad thing – All-Ireland champions Limerick are waiting for Galway in the long grass now and those boys know how to wield a scythe through any team.
This season has many similarities with Liam Sheedy’s introduction as senior Boss. A lot of energy and enthusiasm saw Tipp win the League and get to the All-Ireland semi-final where Waterford proved too good for the team. A year later more progress was made before the All-Ireland appearance in 2009, and then the All-Ireland Final victory in 2010. It takes time to mould a team and to marry established players with newcomers. That is the challenge facing each management team and already we have seen casualties from the 2022 panel list. Chances are, there will be further casualties by the time the 2024 championship season commences too.
Liam Cahill, Michael Bevans, TJ Ryan, Declan Laffen, Padraic Maher and Tony Browne have plenty of time now to look in the mirror; assess players; check out now blood; and perhaps, unfortunately, jettison those whom they feel are not cutting it – sport is a cruel business and as a business all elements must be reviewed. Flat performances? – S&C, diet, preparation, psychology, performance analysis must all be audited. Under achieving tactically? -coaching and game management must be scrutinised. It’s best to do this review as soon as possible, while the hurt defeat remains fresh in the mind and can contribute to a cleansing and an honesty which will be necessary going forward.
Naturally, Tipperary hurling supporters are disappointed this week – well, we do want to win the All-Ireland every year. But, surely an admission of progress will be acknowledged. The graph is on an upward trajectory and you can bet your bottom dollar that the players and management will pledge to come back in ’24 better and stronger. Yes, we won just two championship games out of six but we also only lost two out of six – the figures make for much more pleasant reading when compared with ’22.
So, no complaints about the outcome of the quarter final. Progress made, albeit incremental. Further improvement needed.
For now, roll on the club championships.
By Jonathan Cullen Tue 27th Jun
