Fresh faces needed to re-ignite Tipp

By Shane Brophy

Liam Sheedy has been here before, and that is why there is still hope for Tipperary following Sunday’s Munster Senior Hurling Final defeat to Limerick.

30th May 2010, Tipperary left Pairc Ui Chaoimh with their tails between their legs after a heavy defeat to Cork, with questions raised over whether this Tipperary team had what it takes to win an All-Ireland, three months later Eoin Kelly was lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup in Croke Park.

Just two short years ago, Tipperary suffered a harrowing Munster Final defeat to the much the same Limerick team, but yet were able to recover and were All-Ireland champions seven weeks later.

However, you sense this recovery mission will be the biggest challenge of them all for Liam Sheedy with just two weeks to right the ship ahead of an All-Ireland quarter final against Cork, Galway or Waterford.

Psychologically will be the biggest challenge to get the players focused again from the high of the first half performance which was as good as any Tipperary team has played in recent memory, to the low of the second half capitulation under an onslaught from Limerick.

A fifteen-point swing from a ten-point lead to a five point defeat is humiliating but for everyone involved, the harsh lesson meted out to them has to be learnt, and learnt quickly.

Back in 2010, Liam Sheedy didn’t make too many personnel changes following the defeat to Cork, three in fact, however two of which were critical in Patrick Maher and Gearoid Ryan who infused a much-needed energy into the half forward line and the more established players fed off it. This is exactly what is needed now.

Tipp did a lot right on Sunday, so there is no need to throw the baby out with the bath-water but there has got to be an understanding that what happened on Sunday isn’t a once off, it was a repeat of what happened seven weeks previous on a similarly warm day against Waterford when Tipp were over-ran after half time in the National League at Walsh Park.

Some young blood is needed now in the starting line-up or featuring more off the bench, and if Tipperary are to have a chance of winning an All-Ireland title in the next few weeks, it is hard to see it happening without it.

It might mean some of the older guard, who have been of great service over the last decade or so, being reduced to a bench role, but from where they can still be hugely influential as if Tipp are still in games going into the final twenty-five minutes, what you wouldn’t give for players, some of whom with three All-Ireland medals, to bring on and win the game.

It might not feel like it at the moment, but Tipperary can still have a big say in this All-Ireland race, but only if changes are made.