Only half Tipp team able for pain game
A big crowd, great atmosphere, great venue and yet we were so close to the action we could almost hear the heartbeat of the players.
You know, the second-worst thing that can happen to a Kilkenny GAA man is to be picked to play on the football team; the worst would be having to go home to tell your father. That’s how seriously they take their hurling.
On the way in I bumped into John Power, the great battling centre-forward of a few years ago. He was selling raffle tickets for his club, John Locke’s of Callan. That’s Kilkenny. That’s why they’re great when you have former greats like that still involved at every level.
I gave the nod to Tipperary to win this game because I felt with Henry Shefflin, TJ Reid and Richie Power out they would surely come to Nowlan Park and make a statement about Tipperary hurling.
They did, but not enough of them.
Half the team stood up to Kilkenny, went toe-to-toe with them but too many didn’t.
You must have sympathy for the Tipperary defence, for Darren Gleeson in goals, Brendan Maher in midfield and Noel McGrath up front. But the others? Four of the starting forwards were taken off and one was sent off and they did not register a shot on goal, not one. Where they were concerned, Kilkenny keeper Eoin Murphy could have stayed at home.
There’s a reason for that. Eoin Kelly and Bonner Maher apart, none of those Tipperary forwards were willing to get hurt, and if you’re going to score goals against Kilkenny you need that mindset because they will make you pay.
There were too many mistakes by Tipperary yesterday, too much loose ball given away and they were punished several times by Kilkenny.
Tipperary are going to have to go back to convention. Instead of all this running around to find space, just let the forwards play their positions and be more direct in getting the ball to them.
Lar Corbett was sent off after getting embroiled in an off-the-ball brawl with JJ Delaney — he shouldn’t have been in that position, for the simple reason that he should have been taken off much earlier. Lar was opting out yesterday instead of grabbing this game by the scruff of the neck.
Any player can have an off-day but it’s up to the management to take him off. Lar should have gone yesterday but it shouldn’t have been left to the referee.
The same could be said for a couple of the other forwards, not working hard enough or willing to get hurt. The ball was coming back out from the Kilkenny defence far too easily, which was so unfair on that overworked Premier defence. Tipperary need to learn lessons from this, off the pitch as well as on.
To Kilkenny and what a contrast. Look at fellas like Michael Fennelly, going into centre-forward and scoring 2-3 from play. Michael didn’t shirk the hits, in fact his mentality is to welcome pain. Look at young Kieran Joyce how he thundered into this game. Look especially at midfielder Lester Ryan, in his first season but playing like a veteran, looking for work and responsibility.
Even Richie Hogan. He has been Kilkenny’s best forward right through this league but was well marked yesterday. It didn’t matter, not when you have guys like Colin Fennelly and Cillian Buckley to take over. Cillian is in only his second season but grew as this game progressed and it became more and more obvious. That’s what you want from your forwards.
Finally, you look at who has to come back to this team. We’ll focus on the attack — Henry Shefflin, TJ Reid, Richie Power and Walter Walsh. Again, this is what makes this team what it is. Even after picking up yet another league title, who can say they’re guaranteed a place when the championship comes around and Brian Cody comes backon duty.
September is a long way away, but already you’d have to think there’s another double on the way?
