The View – ‘Deise Vu’ puts Tipperary thinking – By Noel Dundon

The View – ‘Deise Vu’ puts Tipperary thinking

Shock of poor showing was a throwback to twelve months ago

By Noel Dundon

For some reason the prize of a place in the All-Ireland senior hurling series feels almost like a consolation one – getting four numbers in the Lotto instead of the jackpot winning five.

However, go back just over a month to the start of the Munster campaign and Tipperary supporters would gladly have taken third spot in what was very much the group of death. The away win to Clare was so vital and not losing to Cork and Limerick seemed to have us set up for the Munster showcase. But, who knew that Sunday’s performance could be so flat, lacking in energy and listless?

Yes, most people expected Waterford to have a right cut off Tipp, and they did. But few could have anticipated that Liam Cahill’s men would be so far off the pace that not only were they second to every ball, in many cases they were not even third to the ball. Waterford looked great – full of hunger and go, but Tipp helped them greatly by virtue of their lack of fizz.

It was Waterford’s second successive championship victory over Tipperary following last year’s win in Walsh Park. We thought that we were different gravy this year, but it was a case of ‘Deise Vu’ as Davy Fitzgerald pulled another rabbit from the hat in the form of playing two goalkeepers – Billy Nolan had a massive game as sweeper and his distribution set the tone for Tipperary’s downfall.

The argument could be made that the exertions of the Limerick clash a week previously had taken its toll on Tipperary. But, it didn’t seem to affect Limerick forty miles down the road in TUS Gaelic Grounds when they rumbled with Cork in another epic battle. Limerick seeing out the win ultimately kept Tipperary in the championship shake-up, while securing their own place in the provincial final.

Some commentators have described Tipperary’s performance as a blip – hopefully that’s exactly what it was. But, it has to be said, that the showing resembled a throwback to the 2022 campaign and we all know how that ended. At least now there are three weeks to iron out the knots, refresh the legs and the approach, and deal with the any mental issues which Sunday may have thrown up. By the time we head to Tullamore to tackle Offaly, we should be in flying form again.

Don’t under estimate the absence of key players from the Tipperary line-up. Cathal Barrett, Jason Forde and Jake Morris were out; Gearoid O’Connor was forced off injured, as was Brian McGrath later on. Throw in then the likes of Niall O’Meara, Craig Morgan and Barry Heffernan to the mix – Tipperary’s option were limited enough. Hopefully, the panel will be much stronger when it comes to travelling up through the county for that date in Tullamore.

That’s not trying to make an excuse for Sunday and in fairness Manager Liam Cahill offered none, other than to say how disappointed with the performance the players and management are – the big disappointment was the feeling that they had let down a large Premier support in their home patch on the day – a day which had a very strange and eerie atmosphere from well before the ball was thrown in. Compare that to the electricity which flowed through the stands a week previously and it was like comparing three phase with a watch battery. Sparks flew and ignited seven days before – on Sunday Tipp were trying to set damp embers alight.

That disappointment can be a big motivational tool going forward and the management will certainly use it and any other elements they can muster, to drive the players on. A lot has been asked of them so far this season, but now the ball is back in the players’ court, so to speak. It is on them and they know it. That’s a powerful weapon to have in the arsenal.

You’d be trying to take positives from every game and in Tipperary’s latest outing too there are a few plusses to be gleaned. Yes, it would have been nice to make the Munster Final, but that would have meant a game in a fortnights time against Clare. Lose that game and the mental and physical recovery would be burdensome – remember, Clare have improved exponentially since our clash with them in Ennis on day one.

Instead, here we are with a three week window and time to shape up for Offaly, while Limerick and Clare will batter it out to see who will be Munster kingpins. You feel that Clare need to win the title more than Limerick do, but Tipperary, you would think, will gladly sit back and watch them to knocking lumps out of each other in what has the makings of a massive Munster Final occasion – at the time of writing it looks like a repeat of the decider of twelve months ago in FBD Semple Stadium, although there is a suggestion than Páirc Uí Chaoimh could come into the frame as well.

When you consider that Waterford beat us, and Cork drew with us before losing two games by a point, you’d have to be glad to be still in the shake-up. Cork and Waterford will now lick their wounds for half a year but we are still alive and moving. That goal has been achieved so onwards now and let’s see where the journey takes us next.

Elsewhere, beyond the confines of Munster, there were some extraordinary results. Wexford could lose to Westmeath a week ago, but then turned over Kilkenny in Wexford Park; while Dublin led Galway by ten points at one stage only to see the Tribesmen jump on-board the train in the second half and force a draw; Carlow winning the Joe MacDonagh Cup for the second time since 2018 was also possibly a surprise given that they defeated Offaly – Tom Mullally, the Carlow Manager took over from Tipperary’s Colm Bonnar in 2021, while in Offaly, Borrisoleigh’s Martin Maher is part of Johnny Kelly’s management team.

Kiladangan’s Darragh Egan was surely happy to have preserved top flight status with Wexford – will he be heading to the sunny south east again in 2024? Will Darren Gleeson continue to travel north to Antrim? Will William Maher continue with Laois? On all scores time will tell.