Ryan: Cats hunger showed

THE pain of All-Ireland final defeat is a powerful motivating tool.

Tipperary were the ones harnessing that feeling this time last year when they avenged their 2009 loss in spectacular style.

And as Declan Ryan stood underneath the Hogan Stand watching yesterday’s decider unfold, he witnessed another team utilise that agony effectively.

Kilkenny were wounded by last year’s loss and the Tipperary manager detected a desire to avenge that as a principal reason behind their triumph yesterday.

“Hats off to Kilkenny, they were the hungrier team on the day. That’s the way it looked from the sideline. Unfortunately we were second best to Kilkenny which is testament to the fact that they have set the standard in the late 1990s in the country. It’s disappointing when you don’t turn up with your A game on the day.”

The contrast between Tipp’s sluggishness and the energy that coursed through Kilkenny’s play was evident from the first whistle.

While Brian Cody’s men adapted to the rhythms of the encounter instantly, Ryan saw his side tentatively feel their way into the final. It took 16 minutes for Noel McGrath to get them on the scoreboard and by that stage Kilkenny had raised five white flags. The Leinster champions’ sheer physical power was a dominant characteristic in their early play as well.

“We were lucky to be only five points down at half time”, admitted Ryan. “We were blown out of it in a couple of tackles and that’s maybe down to attitude and hunger. Kilkenny have shown over the last five years that they have savage hunger and they showed it there. We failed to cope with it early in the game. We re-jigged it a small bit at half time and we got to grips with it somewhat in the second half. I think the guys did themselves justice in the second half.”

Tipperary’s attacking prowess had been the headline-making feature of their performances all season. The goal threat that was in evidence in last September’s All-Ireland decider was maintained this summer. Before yesterday Lar Corbett, Eoin Kelly and Seamus Callanan had struck 13 of the 15 goals that Tipperary had registered in the championship but that trio were kept scoreless from play on this occasion.

Ryan agreed that Kilkenny had focused on blotting out Tipperary’s scoring threats.

“We didn’t get too many open goal opportunities today. We seemed to be bunched up in our forward line. We didn’t win enough breaking ball. We didn’t win enough primary possession. It’s down to the physicality Kilkenny bring to the game and you either decide to match that or you don’t. We were second best in that regard. Kilkenny got their scores a bit handier, especially when we came back to three or four points. They set the standard for us all, it’s up to the rest of us.”

One of Tipperary’s more effective performers up front was John O’Brien but he was substituted during the second half at a stage when he was influencing the game.

“John cramped up a small bit near the end of the game,” revealed Ryan. “He won a lot of possession there, full credit to him but had to come off.”

In the wake of defeat, teams tend to scrutinise elements of their pre-match preparation. But Ryan had no complaints.

“These guys have trained savagely hard. They’ve been like professionals almost. You have to see how hard these guys have trained to believe it. I have no qualms with that end of things. We haven’t done anything different today than we have done all year. For guys who have played so well and trained so hard over the last six to eight weeks it’s difficult to put a finger on it.”