Ryan’s day of reckoning
Just the way Waterford manager Michael Ryan wants it.
“If you look at Waterford’s best results in the past, they’ve often come from this situation, and it’s the same this time,” says Ryan.
“I think we’ve suffered over the years from having too much hype, too much build-up, and it’s nice and low key this week.
“There’s not a lot of talk about the game.
“People will probably say that for Waterford being in a Munster final is no big deal. It’s our ninth final since 2002, money is scarce and people won’t be travelling to the game.
“The scenario nowadays is that a fella can go down to his local pub to watch the game and spend €30 in the happy hour on pints, or he can go to the game and bring his family and spend €150, maybe.
“Obviously some people are picking the other option, which is disappointing, but the real hardy boys will be there. Economics plays a big part. People are reluctant to spend money that’s earmarked for something else.
“And it’s not a knockout game, either, which will probably take from the attendance.”
Low-key build up or not, a Munster final is a far cry from the beginning of Ryan’s tenure. Results were poor and the team looked prime candidates for relegation, while his selectors, Br Philip Ryan and Nicky Cashin, resigned before the league was over.
“I was always happy in the role, but when Shane Walsh came off at half-time in the first league match down in Cork we were down 11 players, and we can’t afford to be down 11 players. When John (Mullane) and a few more came back we got a system in place, won a game, played a few club games . . . training has been good and the panel is a bit stronger now.
“The league did give us the chance to try some new players, and we blooded 29 players. The Waterford Crystal and challenges don’t prepare you for the championship, and the competitive league we had brought us on and gave us a chance to give them all a chance.
“In last year’s All-Ireland semi-final only three Waterford players started who weren’t part of the Justin (McCarthy) era.
“We had four newcomers start and two newcomers come on against Clare, so we had six in total. Blooding players is important but the mix of youth and experience is vital too. We have lads coming through with Harty Cup and underage experience, and we’re blending them in well.”
Ryan is under no illusions about the strength of Waterford’s opponents.
“I think Tipperary are in a good position. They struggled against Limerick and only won the game in the last 10 or 15 minutes, when their bench proved very strong. They got a massive test from Cork – not just because of Cork’s strength, but from the fact that they played the last quarter with 14 men, and yet they were deserving winners of that game.
“They’d probably like to build their momentum slowly, compared to last year, because I think last year’s Munster final did nothing for them later in the year. I think it was a hindrance to them in the long term.
“But when the ball is thrown in on Sunday there’ll be eight zeros on the board, four for each side, and the game is up for grabs.”
- Michael Moynihan
Twelve months ago Tipperary slammed seven goals past their opponents in one of the most one-sided showpieces in modern times.
Now Ryan is warning his players to expect a backlash from a side desperate to avenge that 7-19 to 0-19 hammering.
“Well it’ll be a different game to last year, we all know that. Last year was a once-off and there’s no doubt Waterford will be coming into this game with that in the back of their minds and they’ll be using that as an impetus for the Munster final.”
Different game, different Waterford manager in Michael Ryan and of course a different Waterford team.
“Every manager has his own ideas,” says the Tipperary boss. “Some days it doesn’t work for you and you have to put your hands up. I’m sure they’ll have learned from last year. Michael Ryan is a fully committed Waterford man and he’s going to be looking to his players to play as well as they can on the day. They’re playing a more physical type of hurling and they have a more physical type of player in the team. They all look physically very strong this year, the Waterford guys. They will be playing a more direct style, maybe back to a more typical Waterford style of hurling than in the last couple of years, when they were more defensive. They prefer to play an open type of game and that’s what they’re back to this year.”
Plenty of relevance there then from the 2011 final but plenty of relevance too from Tipp’s performances already in this year’s Munster championship. In the first round they were rocked back on their heels by the ferocity of the Limerick challenge, at the start of the second half especially, before they were finally able to get up to their own high tempo game in the last quarter. Against Cork in the semi-final they were again under huge pressure and had Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s taken their goal chances, may not even have survived that test.
Ryan admits his side needs to improve, especially at the back.
“Our defensive display against Cork wasn’t exactly what we know our lads of capable of — we know they’re capable of better.”
Mitigating circumstances of course, the Cork attack constantly moving and switching, the Tipp defence then at sixes and sevens before they settled.
“That’s part of the modern game. Forwards are looking for movement, they’re looking to get into open space; you have to be a great athlete to be a back nowadays, you have to have a lot of pace about you and you have to react quickly.
“But I was very happy with our half-back line the last two days — I think our full-back line has the potential to play a lot better because we’ve a lot of good men in that area but we’ll be looking for a better performance from all our players in the Munster final than what we got against Cork.
“We could have knocked in another goal or two maybe while our wides tally wasn’t too bad on the day. But I think our work-rate overall from one to 15 could improve.”
Heartening for the manager, however, was the courage shown by his players in both those games, the determination not to be beaten.
“I was delighted with the character and if we can maintain that character, eliminate some of the mistakes and play with a bit more freedom, I think we’ll see a better display out of Tipperary.”
- Diarmuid O’Flynn
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