Devane confident Tipp can learn league lessons

CAMOGIE: Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Preview

By Thomas Conway

TIPPERARY v CLARE

Camogie Grounds, The Ragg

Saturday 21st May

Throw-in @ 5.00pm

Tipperary’s recent defeat to Clare in the Munster semi-final replay was humbling for all involved.

It wasn’t a seismic shock, given that Clare had pushed Tipp all the way in Thurles the previous week, but it nonetheless ranked as a significant upset, an aberration which few saw coming. Generally, when these things happen, the losing team tends to react in one of two ways. The defeat either drains them of all confidence and provokes a bottomless downward spiral, or it acts a positive watershed, catalysing them into action and forming the bedrock of future success.

Rarely is team afforded an immediate chance to avenge the defeat, and yet that is exactly what awaits Tipperary next weekend. Another encounter with Clare, another chance to reprieve themselves, against the very team responsible for their Munster championship exit.

Tipp, right now, are probably feeling a little vulnerable. The defeat to Clare opened the possibility that they might not be the formidable force which people thought they were. Plus, Group 1 of this All-Ireland Senior Championship is awash with danger. Cork are the standard bearers. Tipp are destined to meet them in their final group game in Cork on July 2nd. In between however, they have to negotiate the challenges posed by Clare (home), Dublin (away), Waterford (home), and Wexford (away).

For now, their focus won’t extend far beyond the Clare game, but you can bet that manager Bill Mullaney is eyeing those trips to Dublin and Wexford with caution. Regardless of the opposition, regardless of the venue, Cáit Devane will form an integral component of Tipperary’s overall performance.

The sharpshooting forward is as honest as she is accurate. She acknowledges that Clare exposed Tipp’s frailties mercilessly in the TUS Gaelic Grounds and admits that the defeat forced each individual squad member to stand back and assess themselves. Devane remains confident however, that Tipp are grounded enough to absorb the lessons of that game and bounce back stronger in The Ragg next weekend.

“Obviously we were disappointed with our own performance, but with that said, you’d have to say that Clare were by far the better team on the day,” she reflected.

“Whatever it was, we just couldn’t match their intensity, which was disappointing from our point of view.

“But I think over the past couple of weeks we’ve had to focus on ourselves. As players we’ve had to take responsibility and ensure that we learn from that Clare defeat, because it can be easy to bury your head in the sand and try to forget about these games.

“But I think this group of players has matured over the years, and I think we’ve been able to pull together, to critically analyse our own performance, and to take the necessary learnings from it.”

Devane is proud of the progress Tipp have made over the past several years, but even she acknowledges that until the team delivers some real silverware, questions will continue to abound regarding their ability to compete at the very top level.

On two occasions now, they have failed to execute the basics, allowing Clare to play the game on their terms. In Limerick, they suffered the consequences. Devane knows that inter-county camogie is now highly systemised, full of pre-designed strategies and scripted movement. Without a command of the essential skills however, even the most ingenious game-plan is destined to fail. Hence the reason that Tipp must focus on application next weekend in The Ragg. Skills first, systems second.

“Like any team, we’re trying to impose our style of play on the opposition, and often, it does come back to the basics,” she said.

“You can have great ideas in your head about how you’d like to play, but ultimately, it really does come back to the basics of doing the simple things well, making sure that we’re communicating on the field, getting our defensive and attacking structures correct. And when you get them basics right, that’s when you can start to think about the tactical side of things, and the style of play.”