Tipp badly need ball-winners, and could copy Clare attitude
I was talking to a few diehard Tipp supporters before the game and they told me they have no confidence in this team. For a county where arrogance was once second nature, that’s a real turnaround.
Mind you, when you saw the way Tipperary played, you can understand why their supporters have lost faith — the players themselves look like they’re lacking in confidence. They’re playing what I’d call ‘blackboard hurling’.
It’s all very well making all your plans before you go on the field, but before you can decide what you’re going to do with a ball you must first win it, and be able to win it. Tipperary didn’t do that yesterday, didn’t look like they even wanted to do it, weren’t prepared to take the pain that’s often necessary to win that dirty ball. They were outmuscled and allowed themselves to be.
I know Eamonn O’Shea is saying he’s not worried about the results, not worried about the league, that he’s looking down the road to the championship. He’s wrong. Eamonn, there’s no tap on this team or on any other hurling team that a manager can just turn on and off.
What he and his management team need first and foremost is a few ball-winners in his attack, but, even more so, a few ball-winners in his defence. At both ends of the field Clare won the physical battles, they were truly the masters of Tipperary. In fact were it not for the introduction of Conor O’Mahony just before half-time I think Tipp would have got a right trimming yesterday.
Even as it was the four goals they conceded could have been six. This was a lot more than a seven-point game, and that was against a Clare team who weren’t even at full tilt.
Tipperary should be under no illusions — they have a long, long way to go if they’re to have any serious ambitions this year. When championship time comes around, I wouldn’t be in the least surprised if at least half of those we saw in the blue-and-gold yesterday won’t be anywhere near a starting jersey.
I’d say too most Tipperary supporters know that. They can be harsh judges, more harsh than anything I’d say, highly critical, but they can also be right — they know their hurling.
Now to Clare.
One thing you have to admire about this new Clare team is their attitude. They’re the All-Ireland champions, they could relax a little, but they don’t. Their attitude yesterday was again top-class. Starting at the back, Donal Touhy was ultra-alert, made two outstanding saves. Outside Tuohy, Cian Dillon was immense, while outside them, Patrick O’Connor is emerging as a tremendous team leader.
Look at John Conlon at wing-forward; he scored 1-3 and a lot of forwards would be happy to have just done that much. Not John. He kept on working, kept on putting himself about, kept on giving the hits and, more importantly, taking the hits. And boy does he take punishment.
I’m picking out individuals though and maybe I shouldn’t, because the workrate of everyone, those who started and those who came on, was outstanding.
Of course — and not for the first time — the man who really stood out on that pitch yesterday was Conor McGrath. He’s the best forward in the country at the moment, definitely the best inside-forward. Three goals yesterday and I know a few of them were soft enough, but among those Tipperary supporters I was talking to yesterday, the biggest regret of all they have must surely be the fact that Conor’s father Joe decided to move from his native Toomevara to Cratloe.
How Tipperary could do with a finisher of Conor’s quality now!
I met a lot of Clare young lads in Thurles yesterday with their hurleys, their balls, their jerseys. That’s a great sign. Bank on this: Clare will be around for a while now, this current team because of their attitude and the way they’re being managed, the future Clare teams because of the way the whole thing is now being managed.
Waterford next week in Ennis, then Galway, also in Ennis — qualification for the quarter-finals is now almost certain and I hope the Clare public come out again in huge numbers.
Whatever about Tipperary or anyone else, this team certainly deserves support.
