The View –Still plenty of room for improvement despite stirring victory

The View –Still plenty of room for improvement despite stirring victory

By Noel Dundon

Considering the fact that Tipperary came away from Cusack Park, Ennis with a stirring championship victory on Sunday last, and that fourteen man Limerick struggled to get over the line against a very unlucky Waterford side, there is a growing consensus in the hurling world that the gap between the champions and the rest of the chasing pack might not be as gaping as originally thought.

Cork will get in on the championship act this coming weekend against the Deise, while Limerick will rumble with Clare in TUS Gaelic Grounds in a game which will really shake the famous old stadium.

So, we are head, neck and heels in the championship and the two Munster games last weekend certainly lived up to the billing. Both victors led from gun to tape and have put themselves in a very strong position of advancing to the closing stages, with both having won away from home.

Liam Cahill will have been justifiably proud of his charges as he boarded the team bus to make the way homeward bound. But, he will know too that while his men showed admirable courage in the face of a very stiff challenge in a testing environment, fortune did favour the brave in many respects.

When you take bias and emotion out of it and drill down into the nitty gritty of the encounter, Tipp will know that things ran for them in this match. Three of the goals materialised as a result of defences lapses in the Banner rearguard and a fourth came from a penalty. At the end of the game it was 27 scores to 26, the difference being that Tipperary had those five majors in the 5-22 to 3-23 scoreline.

Granted Jake Morris still had a lot to do to create his two goals which he took brilliantly. And, he was also bearing down on goal when he was fouled for the penalty and the resultant black card to David McInerney which Banner Manager Brian Lohan bemoaned greatly afterwards – it was hard to blame him too, but rules are rules. Perhaps Tipperary’s Michael Breen was fortunate to have been handed a yellow rather than a black card later on in the game.

Tipp got the goals at the right time. All last week, The View was suggesting that the best way to approach this game was to hit the front from the off, put Clare on a back-step, and try to stay in the driving seat for as long as possible. That’s exactly how is played out, thanks in the main to that slice of luck from the early Forde goal from the sideline cut.

But Clare hit back and their two-goal fillip from Mark Rodgers before the half time break left the visitors with just a four point lead, having played wind assisted. But, Forde’s penalty goal after Morris was fouled, was quickly followed by a Sean Ryan blast off a Mark Kehoe pass to give the Templederry man a dream championship debut, and Tipperary enough of a cushion to see them home.

Clare though were not going away and they fought it out to the end with Tipp having to use all their strings in the orchestra to ensure that the melody would be a sweet one with the sounding of the final feadóg.

So a first championship win in twenty months for Tipp and a deserved one too. Aside from the goal-getting exploits, what really impressed was the hunger and desire displayed by those in the blue and gold jerseys. They showed tremendous energy and appetite and applied themselves to the task all the way through. Yes, Clare asked a lot of questions, the answers to some which Tipperary possessed. Other questions remain unanswered though – for instance, conceding 3-23. Many a championship tie will be lost with similar concession rates and this will occupy a lot of the management’s thoughts between now and the trip to Páirc Úi Chaoimh on Saturday week.

Tipp are in a really good position now and a similar result in Cork would render them qualified for the All-Ireland series and on course for the Munster Final. Next weekend will reveal a lot – Limerick winning would give them a cushion, but would leave Clare in dire difficulties with two defeats; a Cork victory would give them a great start, but would leave Waterford in deep trouble too. But, there is a long way to go yet and there will be a few twists in the tale before the provincial finalists and the third team to qualify for the All-Ireland series, emerge.

The U20 hurlers secured their first win of the campaign against Limerick to go along with the opening round draw against Clare. Another win is a must on Friday evening in FBD Semple Stadium against Waterford and Brendan Cummins’ side will take great heart from the way in which they saw off Limerick. Let’s hope they can pull off the victory which will further bolster confidence in the hurling talent coming through.

The minors have endured a tough campaign and though unlucky to lose to Limerick a week ago, thereby ruling out progression, they did show a lot of heart in their games. It has been a short campaign when compared to last year’s All-Ireland final winning run, but that is often the case when it comes to underage hurling.

On the football front, the Tipp minors continue to impress and are helping to restore pride in the big ball enthusiasts in the county. Victories over Limerick and Waterford were very welcome, and they will roll out the red carpet for Clare on Thursday evening at FBD Semple Stadium.

The seniors were treated to no holiday in the tourist hotspot of Killarney in the Munster semi-final. It was always going to be a tall order for them against the All-Ireland champions on Saturday and the focus now turns to the Tailteann Cup for David Power and his mentors. A good run in this competition would help to restore confidence and faith in the squad and give a bit of hope to all concerned. They will be plying their trade in Division 4 of the Allianz National Football League in 2024 and the hope will be that they can continue to rebuild a panel which has been decimated and robbed of personnel for many reasons, including injury.

Mar focail scoir – the events in FBD Semple Stadium on Sunday last which resulted in the dismissal of Limerick’s Gearoid Hegarty and a Waterford mentor, provided an ugly backdrop to what had been a great contest. To some extent, what goes on on-field is fair game enough – Hegarty got his just rewards for his sins, while Seamus Flanagan was very fortunate not to have walked too. But, a mentor entering the sideline to engage with a player is just not on and should be dealt with in the strictest manner.

More and more, we are seeing mentors losing the rag on the sideline, being incensed with officials, receiving yellow cards and often inciting their backrooms and supporters in the process. It is not on and the Association needs to clamp down on this. Displaying passion is one thing, but when it goes further than that it becomes a problem.

Perhaps a leaf out the Cody and Kiely playbooks should be looked examined– both are very passionate hurling men who have gone to great lengths to succeed, but rarely, if ever do they lose the rag. Rather their approach has been cool and calculated and this has enabled them to make the required adjustments with a clear head during the course of a game. It has certainly worked for them.