Another step forward for O’Mahony
“At the start of the year every team wants to get to an All-Ireland final. We knew we had Cork first, and to get to an All-Ireland would take five steps. We just see this as another stepping stone — step four or whatever, hopefully get over that, and get into the final.”
After Cork, Tipperary faced Clare in the Munster semi-final, and then, that potential pitfall safely negotiated, Waterford in the final, another major step.
Tomorrow, it’s another near neighbour, Limerick, which means that to reach the final, to complete that second-last step, Tipperary will have had to journey through all the other major hurling counties in Munster.
Not an easy task, given how tight Munster has become in recent years, with Limerick, Waterford, Cork and Clare all having reached the All-Ireland final within the last seven years.
Tipp haven’t been there themselves since 2001, their last success also, while Limerick reached the final of 2007, when they lost to Kilkenny. Not just a major step then, but a major obstacle.
“Limerick are Limerick, they are physical and this year I have been impressed, they have a mixture of physical lads that can match it and the lighter lads for the breaks — they are fast. And they have Justin McCarthy over them now as well, their hurling brain has come on with him over them. If we’re not prepared, we won’t get past them.”
Will Limerick, perhaps, be a bit too physical for Tipperary?
In last year’s semi-final loss, several Tipperary players have already admitted that they were bullied by Waterford, outmuscled and out-hustled. Isn’t there a danger that the same thing can happen again, against Limerick? Not this time, says Conor: “Every team brings physicality but we are just going to have to match it. I think we are physical enough ourselves, we have a few big lads that won’t be thrown around and even the not-so-big lads won’t be either.
It’s more or less the same Limerick team as beat Tipperary in Munster two years ago after two replays, but with a couple of significant personnel additions, one of whom would be very familiar to Conor.
“They have definitely found a few new players, like Paudie McNamara at full-forward and Gavin O’Mahony in midfield. They weren’t there for the first two games against Waterford so they have been an added bonus for them. I would know Gavin from LIT so I know what he is capable of — he had a fine game the last day.”
Better than fine, in fact; with a haul of eight points, two of those from superbly struck sideline balls, the Kilmallock sharpshooter was man-of-the-match against Dublin, to cap a series of fine performances through the qualifiers for Limerick, which begs the question — why has it taken him so long to make the breakthrough at this level?
“It’s hard enough for all of us to make the breakthrough,” says Conor, “You can be lucky and unlucky. I suppose he’s after getting his chance under Justin and he’s after taking it. He was injured earlier in the year and is back to his best form, as he showed the last day against Dublin.”
Conor, too, is back to his best form, after a bout of the mumps laid him low for several months earlier in the season.
The Newport man is so important to the Tipperary setup, however, that even though he was obviously not at 100%, manager Liam Sheedy started him in every championship game, and he was handed the captain’s armband to boot, deputising whenever Willie Ryan — the official captain — isn’t on the field.
He failed to finish against both Cork and Clare, but played the full 70+ minutes against Waterford, a sign — welcome sign for Tipp supporters — that the current All-Star centre-back is now back to full fitness.
“Yeah, the Munster final would have brought me on. It was the first match I finished in a long time so that is very good for my confidence and my fitness levels. I’m feeling a lot better than I did earlier in the season.”
“Croke Park, that’s where you want to play — it is the business end of the year when you are there. We’re just looking forward to going there.” Going there, but journey’s end this weekend, or one more step?
