Under-achievers under the microscope

I KNOW every player wants to play in Croke Park, but this being an all-Munster clash, would it not have made more economic sense, for everyone, if Limerick and Tipp had tossed for home venue tomorrow?

Instead of heading for the Gaelic Grounds or Semple Stadium, where you’d have been guaranteed crowds of at least 40,000, we’re all going to GAA HQ in Dublin.

It costs more for the supporters and more for the teams, and it will probably yield a lot less for the GAA. So why couldn’t they have come to some arrangement? How many will make that journey? Even if you get 40,000 – which I doubt – it won’t create half the atmosphere you’d have had in either of the home venues.

I know Croke Park is different to anywhere else, the new pitch especially, and the players would like to have a game there to prepare the winners for the final, but surely they could have been facilitated with a run-out in the week or two ahead of that final? If Thurles was good enough to host the final of 1984 on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the GAA, then it is good enough to host a semi-final in 2009 on the 125th. And the same logic applies to the Gaelic Grounds. Anyway, too late now, but very narrow thinking again by the GAA, the needs of the fans ignored.

We’ll look at the game, and the first thing I notice here – in Tipperary and Limerick, you have two of what are seen as very traditional Munster hurling counties, strong hurling areas at that, yet in the last 30 years, Offaly has won more All-Irelands than the two of them combined. That tells you a lot about the underachievement of both in the last few decades. Another thing I’ve noticed, in the last few weeks is the low key build up to the game in both counties. Again going back to the tradition theme, you’d expect a lot more hype and expectation. And it isn’t as though they were gone off the radar altogether – both Tipp and Limerick were still winning at underage, Limerick with those three U21 titles in-a-row, a run which, in most other counties, would almost have guaranteed success at senior level. That was nearly a decade ago now, and still it hasn’t happened for them at senior.

Meanwhile, since 1979, Offaly have won four senior All-Ireland titles, a county with only a fraction of the players of either Tipp or Limerick. It’s way past time that they produced, both of them; unfortunately, however, when this game is over, only one will have the chance to do this year. But which one?

The refrain I’m hearing in Limerick for the past few weeks – and I spend a good deal of time there – is “Sure we don’t mind taking on Tipp”. My reply to that is, why should ye? Why should ye mind WHO ye’re taking on? Isn’t it an All-Ireland semi-final, with an opportunity to qualify for the final? Shouldn’t ye be ready to take on anyone, especially now that you’ve come this far? What Limerick should mind, however, is that in their last couple of games, against Laois and Dublin, they didn’t play well. Their hurling and their start was poor, in both games. I know that they won both, eventually, but if they start the same way against Tipp, they won’t be winning. In those two games they gave a lot of space to the opposition forwards; again, if they do the same against Tipperary, they’ll be gone. Against Dublin too they were very much dependent on free-taker Gavin O’Mahony to get them through – they’ll need to get a much better return from their forwards tomorrow.

Those are the things Limerick should focus on; their backs tightening up, reducing the space for the Tipp attack; more from the midfield, from Donal O’Grady especially, a fine player but one who hasn’t hit his best form yet this year along with a much better return from their attack.

Ollie Moran is named to start in the half-forward line and he is one man who needs to step up his game. I know he’s been injured, but Croke Park on All-Ireland semi-final day is no place for excuses – either he’s ready or not. Limerick need him to return to his All Star form of two years ago.

Alongside Ollie you have James Ryan, Limerick’s best and most consistent player this year. James has been doing well in the forwards, but I believe his best position is midfield. Finally, speaking of a need to return to form, you have Andrew O’Shaughnessy – we all know this guy can finish, but he too has been out of sorts. Now is the time for him to step forward, and if he does, that would be a huge boost for Limerick. With four huge men in the Limerick attack, two of those in the full-forward line, there should be plenty of breaking ball around – that should be Andrew’s game, picking up those breaks.

TO Tipperary. Even though they won the last two Munster championships, I think even Tipp supporters are still not sure about this team, they’re still not convinced that there’s an All-Ireland title in them this year.

And Tipp fans know their hurling, believe me. I see they’ve put Pádraig Maher to full-back on Sunday, Paul Curran to the corner. While I’ve been very impressed with Maher, I can’t understand why Declan Fanning, who won an All Star in the position only a couple of years ago, hasn’t been moved back to the edge of the square, with Maher going to the wing, where he has really impressed.

Maybe Liam Sheedy is seeing something in training to which the rest of us are not privy, but I am surprised at that.

Other than that the Tipp defence is along predictable lines. Conor O’Mahony is at centre-back, but he now needs to be fully fit. The same applies to Shane McGrath in midfield; I know they’ve both had the mumps but as with Ollie Moran, at this stage they’re either ready or not.

McGrath is a really good midfielder, and James Woodlock works very hard alongside him; I would prefer, however, to see Woodlock get rid of the ball faster, especially given the quality of the Tipp inside forwards. Fast ball, that’s what every forward loves to see and that’s what every defender dreads.

To those forwards; we all know the potential they have, but a problem here is that they can’t seem to win the hard ball. When Tipp are on top out the field they’re getting that lovely ball, perfectly placed for them, and then they do damage, but when the opposition start to come into it, when the ball is cleared any which way, dirty ball for the forwards, they aren’t anywhere near as dangerous.

Overall, they’re ability isn’t in doubt, but that’s a problem they do need to address.

In that attack there is one man in particular I want to talk about. We all saw last Sunday, in Henry Shefflin, the damage a player of real class can do in Croke Park on the big day. Well, Eoin Kelly is a player of real class and has been since he broke on the scene nine years ago. If he is fully over his back problems (how many players are coming into this match under a cloud?), then he should lead this attack. Noel McGrath is like Kelly was in 2000, again a player of real class, but it’s too early for people to be expecting him to carry this team.

A winner? I can see only one; if Tipperary keep the pedal to the metal for the full 70 minutes, then Tipperary, easily; if not, it will still be Tipp, but they’ll be put to the pin of their collar.

And then, we’ll get the final that should have happened last year.