IN ALL FAIRNESS - Hard to separate sport from world affairs

Over the last week it has been hard to separate sport from world affairs, not matter how you tried to.

In fairness, sport has been doing its bit to try and influence the situation and get Russia to row back on its assault on Ukraine, but sadly it appears too little too late, particularly in terms of the likes of FIFA, the Olympic movement and Formula1, three of the biggest sporting brands in the world who gave Vladimir Putin credibility over the last twenty years by agreeing to hold some of their biggest events in Russia, knowing full well who he was as the warning signs were there.

Sport should be an escape from things like this but Russia, China and more recently Saudi Arabia have begun to use sport as a way of normalising their regimes to the rest of the world, and it has been allowed to happen.

There was sense of relief last Sunday that Chelsea didn’t win the English League Cup, at a time when the country of their owner has close ties to Putin who is waging war over a neighbour. The vast majority of people involved with Chelsea, from the players, administrators, and supporters, have nothing to do with his war and are abhorred by what is going on in Ukraine. However, the club has largely gotten to where they are now largely with the money Roman Abramovic has put into the club, money largely generated by the Russian regime.

Sadly, it won’t make a bit of difference as when this assault on Ukraine ends, whether it is in the short or long term, things will largely go back to the way they were and rich people with dubious backgrounds will once again use sport as a tool to promote themselves and their brands.

Whether the fact that Tipperary shares the same blue and yellow colours with the Ukraine flag makes it feel a little more personal, or maybe that’s just me, but results of matches last weekend were secondary to what is going on in Easter Europe. As football manager David Power said, pressure is what is going on Ukraine, not whether to take a shot at goal or not. However, turning back to sport for the second half of this column it was welcome to see Tipperary throw off the shackles and get back to winning ways against Sligo. The last fifteen months or so since the Munster championship success hasn’t been the progression Tipp hoped that success would lead to. That was one of the negatives that can come with such a breakthrough, that some players begin to assume that things will just happen, rather than making them happen.

One swallow doesn’t make a summer, but winning games can change everything and if Tipperary can back it up with another against Wexford on Sunday, they will be right back in the promotion hunt, which is where they would have hoped to be going into the last three games.

There is also a sense that the Tipperary hurlers need to throw off the shackles as well. The post Liam Sheedy, Brendan & Paudie Maher eras were always going to have its difficulties, and certainly Colm Bonnar steps in at a time when the squad is looking for a sense of itself. Unlike Darragh Egan in Wexford where there was no rebuild needed as they are still a relatively young side, Bonnar is forced to blood players in greater numbers in this league campaign.

Now, two wins from three and a narrow loss to Dublin, isn’t a bad start but you can see in the play at the moment there is a lack of assurance in what the players are trying to do. There is no doubt Tipp have to adapt their style of play to be able to mix working the ball through the lines, as well as being direct as they prefer to play. The only way to get comfortable with it is by playing games but in the last two against Kilkenny and Dublin, Tipp’s best periods came in the last twenty minutes of both when they played with greater intensity and a bit more abandon to their play, making to hold off a Kilkenny revival but unable to chase down Dublin despite a valiant effort.

The risk in prioritising giving as many players as possible a chance to play, 29 of the 33-man panel have gotten some minutes, is it leaves you unsure about what your best fifteen is. It is a risky strategy considering the championship comes hot on the heels of the league and should Tipp fail to beat Waterford on Sunday, they will essentially be in championship mode as they will likely be out of the hunt for league honours.

Colm Bonnar will hope next Sunday will provide a lot of those answers as this is a pre-championship dress-rehearsal and his Waterford counterpart Liam Cahill will know that as well.