Much more to Galway than brawn, warns Michael Ryan

A lot of hurling has been played since, but the league final has been a key game in the 2017 season.

Tipp manager Michael Ryan saw his side blown away by Galway in that match in Limerick, and he agrees the Tribesmen have gone to another level.

“Without a doubt. And, look, we had first-hand experience. Now we certainly weren’t in the right mindset for that match in the League final and what a price we paid.

“But they were absolutely ready for that game and they’ve continued it right throughout Leinster and were very worthy Leinster champions. They just seemed to have a perfect run through Leinster.”

Is that league final defeat a motivation ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final?

“I think the occasion is the motivation to be honest,” says Ryan.

“The opposition could have been anybody, it just happens to be Galway.

“You could equally say that the motivation is theirs having lost a really tight game last year and ours from the year before.

“I think we’d certainly hope that the league final was an aberration. But if the championship goes to form as it has over the last couple of years there’ll be nothing in this game. That is what I expect, a really, really good battle.”

Is he saying all the pressure is on Galway?

“Absolutely, 100 per cent!” laughs Ryan.

“Does that suggest we’re going to get a free ride? I think it’s irrelevant at this stage; in a Championship pressure is the last thing any team worries about, I think it’s about performance and that’s what will concern both teams.

“Can we get the level of performance that we need. Can we get the top performance out of our team, that’s the ultimate aim. Get the top performance out of them, then come what may. That’s it, you can only give your best.”

Ryan says Tipp “had a bigger say in our under-performance that day (against Galway)” but adds: “I wouldn’t use that as an excuse for Cork beating us in the Munster championship - Cork were bloody good and in fairness to them, we got a hint of what was coming down in Páirc Uí Rinn. They were excellent and they beat us. We tried hard but they still beat us.”

Ryan points to one significant aspect of management: “One of the things you have to figure out quickly is that you can’t possibly keep everybody happy, but what you can be is absolutely fair and have the strength to explain your decisions. There are calls every week in terms of who makes the 26, the 35, the 15 - who gets on the pitch, who’s the cover.

“But we’re very straight with our boys. There’s a logic in here somewhere. They may not like it but there’s a thought process in terms of what we see and value.

“There are always areas for improvement and these boys are so desperate to improve all the time. But you can’t please everybody and you can only play 15 of them and put on five subs.

“If you’re not in that cohort of 20 you’re going to be disappointed but if the team wins, we all win.”

The common note being struck about Galway is their size and power, but Ryan sees a lot more to the Tribesmen than brawn, paying tribute to their sophistication: “You’re right that it’s too simplistic to say they’re just a big team. That’s just the calibre of player available to them.

“They don’t just puck the ball in on top of the square or the half-forward line and hope it gets won. There’s much more to them than that.

“They’re full value for where they sit at the moment.

“We now know who the four teams are for the semi-finals but I think we all agree who the top two are in terms of what they’ve achieved in 2017.

“The semi-finals still have to be played, we’ll have a say in it, but in terms of the form book Cork and Galway are out ahead.”

Still, Tipp are the only side left in the championship with experience of walking up the steps of the Hogan Stand to collect the Liam MacCarthy.

“I wouldn’t call it out that having been successful has been an advantage.

“What I’d say to our guys, what we’d all say, is the experience they’ve gained over the last few years.

“We have come through a school of very hard knocks since I’ve been involved with this team. We’ve suffered plenty in Tipp, particularly at the hands of Kilkenny - we were almost at that level. It steels you for what’s coming.

“But it’s not the only thing. look at what Cork have done with a very new team, a very young team, they’ve played with tremendous freedom. The pitches aren’t big enough for them.

“They have a completely free style of hurling and it suits them. We all have different strengths in our make-up and where we derive our confidence is unique to us, to the make-up of our players and who we have.

“It’s not a burden to not doubt your ability to win a match, but I don’t think it’s a differentiating factor. It’s not worth two points. It’s not worth anything. What counts is the here and now and how you apply yourself right here, right now.”