Keating: If we’re to have a chance we need killer instinct

TIPPERARY coach Michael ‘Babs’ Keating remained a proud man in defeat yesterday.

Though agreeing his side must improve if they are to be serious All-Ireland contenders, Keating began by praising his charges for providing the champions with as tough a 70 minutes as they’ve encountered in quite some time.

Said Keating: “Given the odds that Cork were coming up here to play us — they were 9/2 on to win — we didn’t shake hands with them and give them the title.

“I’m glad that didn’t happen.”

He continued: “We stood shoulder to shoulder with them and at half time the game was up for grabs but if you look at the overall picture we still have a lot of work to do if we are to have any chance in the All-Ireland series.

“Five points playing with the wind in the second half wouldn’t be sufficient to beat anybody at the moment.

“We have got to develop a killer instinct if we are to have any chance.”

The performance of Dickie Murphy did not escape his attentions.

“There will be disappointment among Tipperary fans and those of us close to the team about some of the decisions which the referee made.

“Back in the 1950s Tipp were on the receiving end of a number of bad refereeing decisions and came away from Munster finals very disappointed.

“Fortunately this is 2006 and for us we are still in the championship race despite a number of decisions going against us. We didn’t get too many frees inside the 45 metre line today.

“There were in my opinion one or two situations were we might have been given a free which might have made the difference.”

But he wasn’t laying all the blame with the man in the middle. Some of Tipperary’s forward line will discover as much when training resumes.

“We did create a number of chances but we didn’t take them and that would be a worry I’d have also. If Tipperary are to be a threat to anybody we’ll have to get more out of our forwards. Eoin Kelly cannot continue to be our principal scorer.”

Kelly was well marshalled by Brian Murphy — and Keating was not surprised.

“It was never going to be easy for Eoin Kelly today. I go back to tradition and I said it to him that what happened for him against Limerick and Waterford was never going to be repeated again.

“Remember Christy Ring got no score off Tommy Doyle for two and a half hours. We all know what happened to DJ Carey in the 1999 All-Ireland final — he failed to score.

“Kelly was up against the same today, and I feared it would happen. To be fair to the player he has was a doubt for Tipperary three months ago with the injury he got and he has a bit to go in terms of his fitness.”

But Keating is adamant his team can and will learn valuable lessons.

“Defensively we did well and I couldn’t fault any of them. Being in a Munster final, particularly against teams like Cork, is not easy for some players and our team will have to learn to be a lot tougher if they are to be successful.

“John Gardiner should never be allowed to catch balls out of the air which are not disputed for. That is one area we will have a serious look at. We’ll regroup tomorrow night and you can take it that those of us involved with the team will be working very hard to cut down on our mistakes.

“We have come a long way since the spring but it’s a journey Tipperary people expected us to come on, and there is a lot of hurling to be played before this championship is over.”