Elements still to be encouraged by in facile win

By Shane Brophy

Tipperary were damned if they did and damned if they didn’t in regard to this win over Antrim.

The sceptics will point to it coming against an understrength Antrim side whose manager, Portroe’s Darren Gleeson, rested key players ahead of the relegation final with Offaly next weekend, which was much more important as they couldn’t improve their standing in this game.

However, from a Tipperary point of view, there is plenty of work in scoring 7-29 (the official scoreline was incorrect), and in that context, there are aspects that manager Colm Bonnar can take as their focus now completely shifts to the championship.

When the team was announced, bar the ill Jake Morris, it looked very close to Tipperary’s strongest team at the moment.

Brian Hogan got the nod ahead of his namesake Brian in goal, and in the puckout department there was definitely greater variety in the restarts, particularly into the half back line from where the ball winner was able to turn, and Tipp were away.

From an early stage, Tipp were hunting goals. They only managed one in the four games prior to Sunday and that was a gift from Kilkenny goalkeeper Eoin Murphy with a short puckout that went wrong and ended up with a Jake Morris goal. Not only that, but goal chances also weren’t being created, and the best way of doing that is challenging the opposition defence.

There were times against Waterford particularly where Tipperary had opportunities when left one-on-one with defenders but settled for the easy point, but here they went for the jugular, led particularly by Mark Kehoe. At underage level, the Kilsheelan/Kilcash clubman was noted for taking on defenders and hunting goals. Admittedly against an Antrim side minus their first-choice full back, Kehoe made hay and in games like these, something can begin to flower.

Kehoe scored two of Tipperary’s five first half goals, but assisted in the other three for Jason Forde, Seamus Kennedy (raiding untracked from wing back, another welcome development) and Michael Breen, the latter having a busy first half, again like Kehoe, looking to use his power and pace to take on the defence when he got a chance.

Tipp will meet stiffer defences in the championship but taking on defenders, whether they are Limerick or Antrim, is a good habit to get into as you have to give the opposition something to worry about. There were times they did try to force goals that when easy points were on but developing that aspect of a gameplan will always lead to mistakes, but the intention was right.

You would think in a style like that, and with Jake Morris and John O’Dwyer to come back, Tipp will be an attacking threat come the championship, helped by Noel McGrath pulling the strings at centre forward, and in his first start of the campaign, his quality on the ball provided so much assurance for those around him, and in terms of himself, finished with four points from play.

His brother John took his time to get into a rhythm. You could see it in his play early on those his sub-par performances at inter-county level over the last two years were affecting his confidence. There were times in the first twenty minutes when balls he would usually win with his eyes closed were fumbled or needed a second or third touch to get under control, a nervousness to his play. To his credit, there were times he could have taken an easy score to work himself into the game, but he stayed with the game-plan, and he had a hand in a number of the goals. However, once he got his first point in the 23rd minute, assisted by Noel, it was if a weight was lifted from his shoulders, and plundered a further 2-2 after that. A confident John McGrath still is such a weapon to the Tipperary attack.

Conor Bowe continues to grow in confidence and Jason Forde continues to do what is nearly expected of him with another 1-8 haul, playing in the inside forward line where his vision compliments Kehoe so well.

One concern from the Tipperary performance in the first half was how Keelan Molloy was allowed drift into space to score five points from play. The Antrim midfielder did play in a free role but was adept at drifting onto a pace, particularly on the left flank of the Tipp defence where they were a little exposed and where the majority of Antrim’s scores came in the first half.

With Dan McCormack whipped off at half time, maybe it was he who was earmarked to follow Molloy and suffered as a consequence, with Conor Stakelum coming on at half time and he was extremely busy, scoring two points but also shot three wides, while Barry Heffernan’s radar was also off but was prominent on the ball once more as he settles into a new position of midfield where he ability on the ball is a huge asset.

There was also a welcome return for Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher and who along with Enda Heffernan became the 30th & 31st players to see game-time for Tipperary in the league this year. Maher’s return from ten months out through injury, generated the greatest response from the supporters in the small crowd of around three-thousand people who got excited every time he got on the ball. Maher played like a raw youngster, keen to impress his new management, shooting three wides from positions he would rarely have shot at his best, where he would have brought others into the play. However, that he was getting on the ball which is what is his greatest asset was a positive in itself.

In terms of the other subs, Paul Flynn did his chances of being a strong option off the bench no harm with two points from play.

In terms of a settled defence going forward, Cathal Barrett and Craig Morgan were again superb at corner back, while James Quigley was solid again at full back and looks nailed on to start in the championship. One aspect of his play he needs to tidy up is his handpass. He was the only player pulled for a throw in the match but there were two other occasions where his passing technique looked a little dodgy.

Ronan Maher was superb all through from centre back, contributing three points, but the wing back spots remain a work in progress. Seamus Kennedy’s experience probably sees him at the front of the queue for one position, while Robert Byrne was solid on the other side, but needs to eradicate the habit of batting the ball down in the air to no one in particular. His distribution is his greatest strength but if he can be commanding in the air, as he has the ability to, he can be in the championship team for years to come.

It might not have been the league campaign Tipperary hoped for and there will be no one getting carried away following this victory but there was a sense of “don’t forget about us” if they can get into a rhythm and play to their strengths.

For the next four weeks it is about fine-tuning for the ultimate assessment which is Munster Championship.