A tough test but Dubs won’t stop Tipp
FIRST off, a plea. The GAA should consider playing both the All-Ireland semi-finals on the same day.
Croke Park was less than half-full for Kilkenny and Waterford last weekend and I’m expecting something similar in terms of attendance tomorrow. So why not play the two semis back to back? Charge a little extra for it if necessary but you’d have a full house, and wouldn’t that create a fantastic atmosphere? The GAA is doing a lot things right this year, but crowds can help to make a game great, and a half-full Croke Park works against that.
To tomorrow’s game and if we’re to call a winner on what we’ve seen so far this year then it’s over already.
Tipperary have been hurling at a different level to Dublin — in fact I’d even say they’re playing better than last year. They’re more direct, their touch has improved and they’re operating at great pace. Sometimes though, as we all know, a game can be decided by things other than skill. You have desire, hunger, attitude, courage, and if all of that is in place you can overcome some of the other deficiencies.
In fairness to Dublin, you’d have to say they have all of the above. There’s a great spirit in Dublin these days, and rightly so — between hurling (3) and football (2) they are in five All-Ireland semi-finals this year, and you know what they say about a rising tide! They are strong, very fit, very together, and that counts for a lot.
There’s been a lot of talk from outside the camp about all the men that Dublin are missing, but I notice that in every interview from the camp, they’re playing down that fact. Instead they are getting on with what they have and I like that. Every county now has to have a decent panel of players, and Anthony Daly has been building that in Dublin.
What is crucial tomorrow for Dublin is how they place their players. In my reading of it they should have Peter Kelly at full-back and Liam Rushe in the centre. These are two very mobile players but also fine hurlers. If they line up there Dublin will be well served down the middle of the defence, and in fact I’d go so far as to say that if Rushe is at centre-back they’ll put it up to Tipperary.
Another big question for Dublin is how their defence copes with the movement from the Tipperary attack. All six of those guys switch all over the place, and Dublin can’t afford to be slack here — any looseness will be severely punished. Every Dublin defender will have to be on his toes, and the Dublin midfield will be crucial here also. They’re going to have to get to grips early with Shane McGrath and Gearoid Ryan and gain parity at least.
But the most crucial area for Dublin is the half-forward line. The Tipperary half-back line is the launch pad for much of what happens up front. I know the same thing applies with most teams, but Tipperary have some of the best exponents of the tactic in the game. Dublin will have to target that line, stop the supply of ball coming from this area. The question is, do you bring Ryan O’Dwyer out of the full-forward line, where he scored three goals at Limerick in the quarter-final? O’Dwyer isn’t going to get that latitude tomorrow, so would it be worthwhile to bring him out? He’s a workhorse, and he will do damage there, so it might be worth the gamble, for a while at least.
Perhaps Dublin should take a leaf from Tipperary’s book and rotate their forwards anyway.
One thing Dublin have going for them is that they’ve played a good few games in Croke Park this year and won a few big games there before losing to Kilkenny in the Leinster final. That has to be an advantage.
Enough talk of Dublin. What has impressed me hugely about Tipperary in the last few weeks is that they seem to have silenced all the big talk after the Munster final. They’ve scored 13 goals this year and that’s down to the ball being sent into the forward line.
Another thing of note this year is that they’re winning their games very early.
Against Cork they went ahead early on, against Clare — despite a terrible start — they were well up again before the end, and we know what happened against Waterford.
They’re a very unselfish attack, which again is hallmark of a great team, also the hallmark of a well-coached team, and Declan Ryan and Tommy Dunne are doing very well so far. You have some great forwards for Tipp, Lar Corbett, Eoin Kelly, Noel McGrath, Seamus Callanan, John O’Brien, Patrick Maher. We all know that every forward likes to get on the scoresheet, to score as much as he can, and yet these guys are all willing to part with a ball to a player in a better position. As an attacking force, that makes them even more dangerous. Throw in the few points from McGrath and Ryan in midfield, from Padraic Maher at wing-back, and that spells trouble for any opposition.
There’s only one outcome I can see here. Tipperary have the better hurlers, the better team. The fear is there that this one too could be over early, if Tipp manage a few goals. However, I am expecting Dublin to put up a massive battle and if they do, the champions will head to an All-Ireland final well tested.
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