League success won’t add to pressure on Tipp, warns Ryan

WHATEVER way the public perceive Tipperary’s current standing as NHL champions going into Sunday’s Munster GAA hurling championship in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, selector Mick Ryan doesn’t accept that it places an extra burden on them.

His view, based on his own experience as a player, is that success, or the lack of it, in the league doesn’t really matter when it comes to the championship.

“As far as we are concerned, it’s not extra pressure. They are just separate competitions. The league is very useful and was very useful for us, but if you look at what happened in Limerick last Sunday, you didn’t see any hangovers from not finishing in the latter stages of the league from Clare.”

Ryan is the only remaining link with the Premier County’s last win over Cork in the Munster championship in 1991. That was in a replay in Thurles and he didn’t need reminding about how the drawn game in Páirc Uí Chaoimh had finished controversially, with Nicky English denied what he claimed was a winning point at the end.

“There are always issues like that, always talking point, but we were extremely fortunate to get out of Cork with a draw after we conceded a few early goals. But, isn’t that the whole game of hurling — the swings and roundabouts? You just don’t know.

“It’s a case of who has their nose in front when the final whistle goes.”

Based in Kilkenny with Ulster Bank (and working with Kilkenny panellists Michael Fennelly and PJ Delaney), he feels hurling has changed in terms of teams building up “runaway leads” as often happened in his time.

“You’ll struggle to see that happening now. That final was a goalfest. It was a six-goal match (Cork 4-10 to 2-16). It wasn’t a great look-out for the backs,” he said, alluding to the fact that he was playing in the defence. Interestingly, the replay yielded eight goals, (Tipp 4-19 to 4-15).

Twelve months ago, he was a paying customer in Semple Stadium when Tipperary met Cork in the qualifier competition and caused a surprise by beating them.

“As a spectator I went home very happy with what Tipp achieved on the night. But I would also have said that if it had continued the way it started in the first 20 minutes, we would have had to go home at half-time,” he said.

“I honestly think Cork got a great start and subconsciously took their foot off the pedal and allowed Tipp back into the mix. But, for what it was worth, it was great to play Cork and to beat Cork.”

At the same time, he agreed Tipp’s “real championship” last season revolved around the three-game saga with Limerick. Sensing the players were drained at the end of it — especially after losing — he knew they needed a pick-me-up. And they got it against Cork “in a small way”.

“I would say to you that Sunday’s fare will be a lot more intense and a lot more keenly contested than that.

“Cork/Tipperary games have a special appeal, but we don’t seem to meet often enough. When Tipp started to come in the late 80s, we seemed to cross swords a lot for that four or five-year period and then it seemed to diminish. With Clare’s rise to prominence and then Limerick, the opportunities didn’t seem to arise.

“The last game I was involved in was the 2000 Munster final, but the contest just didn’t happen — because we were comprehensively beaten by Cork.”

With the Tipperary team due to be named after training tonight, he felt that the naming of the Cork side showed that the selectors “did what they felt they needed to do”.

“They have got in some fresher legs and some younger guys. That’s the future of any hurling team, be it Cork or Tipperary or Kilkenny. Doesn’t Brian Cody do it, year in year out, when he introduces one or two new players?

“It just shows as far as I am concerned that there is talent everywhere and Cork is no different. Whereas it would have looked like a very established team, it didn’t necessarily mean that was the team you were going to see in the championship. But I think that’s a healthy thing.

“The whole point is it involves your panel. We all go to the trouble of involving 30-plus players in our training programme, you’re not going to pick from a settled bunch the whole time.

“You do need guys pressing each other, to have the whole training become competitive and to have that level of competition within the panel.

“I think it’s a healthy sign for Cork and please God it’s going to be a healthy sign for us!”