Maturity helps Tipp overcome sticky situation
By Enda Treacy
Pairc Ui Chaoimh has become a coliseum of sorts for Tipperary in recent times as the camogie outfit managed to crawl out of Cork with a win after an extremely attritional game played in unseasonal conditions.
Games there over the last twelve months for all Tipperary hurling and camogie teams have left their mark and this was no different as Waterford showed why the league form can’t be taken into any great consideration when it comes down to the white heat of knockout championship.
The Deise were in no mood to go quietly into the abyss again this time around, and with the aid of the strong wind in the first half, they set up to frustrate the Tipperary play with a sweeper in place cutting out the diagonal ball that this Tipperary team is noted for.
This was clear in the first quarter in particular, as Waterford ran at Tipperary countless times, even despite the wind, and clearly had goals on their mind but the Tipperary rear-guard held firm to keep out the Waterford waves and keep the scoreline down.
Tipp weren’t getting into any early groove, and it was an extremely frustrating first period, with the physical nature of the game taking its toll on players, leading to a very broken pattern of play with stoppages littered throughout the half.
As such, the Tipperary game plan was stunted somewhat and they had to rely on some hard running from the likes of Roisin Howard, Clodagh McIntyre, and Ereena Fryday to make hay, and with Cait Devane unwavering from frees, they did enough to go into the break with a lead, which was positive with the elements to come in their favour for the second half.
Opening the second half, it still had a similar look to it from the opening thirty minutes as Waterford were very much game to get stuck into the physical exchanges, but Tipp weren’t long settling into a more familiar game plan, as the benefit of the breeze was a substantial one and when Eimear McGrath fired over slickly after a breathless passage of play in the 40th minute, it seemed to knock the wind out of Waterford and Tipp never looked back from there.
The introduction of Miriam Campion into full-forward, which allowed for the withdrawal outfield of Cait Devane is becoming a go-to for management and it worked a treat again, as Campion provides a real focal point with space inside and brings others into play very well; setting up scores for McGrath and Orla O’Dwyer in the second quarter of the half and was a general nuisance for Waterford.
The changing of the game was really in this tactical switch as Ereena Fryday was ploughing a lone furrow at midfield in the first half as Grace O’Brien couldn’t get into the game, and with Devane picking up the breaks and setting up attacks, it gave Tipp a better out-ball from defence and led to a complete takeover in terms of winning breaking ball and primary possession from which Tipp prospered.
For Waterford, all attacking impetus dried up in this period as they could only muster four points in the second half – three coming from Niamh Rockett frees – as they couldn't’ get any change from the Tipp rear-guard as they really seemed to feel the loss of Beth Carton, and even without the injured Mary Ryan in situ at full-back for Tipp, the intensity they delivered in the first half seemed to catch up with them.
It was particularly encouraging to see the game won by a number of different faces rather than the oft times lone figure of Cait Devane, who has dragged Tipp through match single-handedly on so many occasions, but she was uncharacteristically quiet in general play, and it was refreshing to see others standing up and showing leadership which will be needed going forward.
Despite her anonymity for much of the game, Devane was still pitch-perfect from the frees and, at this level, it is worth its weight in gold as her contribution in this area alone was vital to the win and will continue to be vital going into an All-Ireland semi-final next weekend.