QUESTION; WHERE ARE TIPP’S HARD MEN?

THE recent National Hurling League final, won by Kilkenny in Thurles, was very encouraging from a hurling point of view. This was Tipperary playing with a steel that I hadn’t seen in them for a long time, a team that stood up physically to a very strong Kilkenny side.

They didn’t win the game, but at least they competed, and competed strongly. I believe this has been Tipperary’s Achilles heel for many years, but perhaps that game signalled a new approach – a new ‘old’ approach, in Tipperary’s case.

Tipperary have won three All-Irelands in 37 years, which, when you consider Tipp’s standing in the game, is probably even worse than Limerick’s record. Consider also that one of those titles, 1989, was won against Antrim – hardly a major boast, and certainly not a boast you’d ever hear from any of the many Tipp hurling diehards. During that period they produced some outstanding hurlers. I’m thinking of the likes of Nickey English, Pat Fox, Michael Cleary, Tommy Dunne, but they only briefly produced the team of really hard men that you need to win All-Ireland titles. In the late 80’s/early 90’s they had Declan Ryan, Bobby Ryan, Cormac Bonner, Donie O’Connell, Joe Hayes, John Leahy, and that brought them success; in 2001, they still had John Leahy and Declan Ryan, John Carroll had come in, David Kennedy was there, Paul Ormonde, and all those guys could give it and take it, would go where it hurt, but didn’t mind dishing out a bit of pain either.

Go back though to the really heady times for Tipp hurling – the 50’s and 60’s – and you were talking about men who put the fear of God into the opposition. Real hard men, men who never took a step backwards; and I’m not talking about dirty hurlers here. I’m talking about fellas like John Doyle who were hurlers first, could play the ball as well as any man, but who could also intimidate, overpower, take physical control, which, of course, led to psychological control.

Look at the Kilkenny team of recent decades, the Kilkenny team of modern times, since 2000; since 1972, Kilkenny have won 14 titles against Tipperary’s three, and since 2000 Kilkenny have won six, against Tipperary’s one. Why? Because Kilkenny have taken over from Tipperary in the physical stakes. Perhaps it all started in 1967, when Kilkenny finally – after over 40 years – beat Tipperary in a championship match, but ever since Kilkenny have been the masters in the physical stakes. Tipp have still been producing the hurlers, and the skill levels have always remained, but they haven’t been producing that ideal mix of skill, strength, courage and raw power. Perhaps we saw a turning in Thurles on May 3. Could Tipperary be the next powerhouse? I think so, yes, at least they’re heading in the right direction.