Tipp minors aim to make up for 2022 disappointment

CAMOGIE: Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Championship Preview

By Thomas Conway

KILKENNY v TIPPERARY

Thomastown

Sunday 12th March

Throw-in @ 2.00pm

When it comes to the All-Ireland Minor Championships, you couldn’t possibly write the script. By their nature, minor competitions are unpredictable. And yet, there is plenty to suggest that this year, Tipperary might well be destined for a proper shot at silverware.

Bear in mind that last spring, Tipp came within touching distance of defeating Cork, the eventual All-Ireland champions, in a riveting semi-final. Their dreams were shattered by a last-ditch Aoife Healy point, which stole victory for the Rebelettes and set them on course for an All-Ireland final triumph over Galway.

Many of the players which contested that semi-final have graduated on to senior level, but this year’s Tipperary minor panel is still stacked with potential with a healthy number of twelve players still eligible from last year’s squad.

Upperchurch/Drombane native John Ryan is the man at the helm of it all after Michael Ferncombe moved onto join Denis Kelly’s senior set-up. Ryan oversaw last year’s under-16s, and hence he’s well aware of the talent which exists in this particular squad. But they aren’t just driven by talent. As Ryan emphasises, this generation of Tipp minors are implacably diligent and determined, so too are their parents. “Any team you manage you’re going to have to strike a balancing act. But it’s very easy to manage this group of players - they’re incredibly committed,” he began.

“And not only are the players incredibly committed, but their parents are incredibly committed as well, and you need that at this age, because obviously a lot of the girls are depending on their parents to drive them to training and matches, so that’s important.

“And we’ve seen that from the very beginning. We started our trials for this season back in early October, and we had over 100 girls show up those first few weeks. So that just shows the level of commitment that’s there.”

Whittling down a panel from such a large cohort of players is never easy. Even more difficult is the task of formulating a gameplan or playing strategy. But Ryan isn’t a believer in rigid systems and structures. He prioritises flexibility. He wants to mould his team in such a way that they are versatile enough to cope with any opposition.

Tipp begin their 2023 campaign with a difficult assignment away to Kilkenny on Sunday, before an away clash against Dublin the following weekend, and three further tests against Cork, Galway, and Waterford in the ensuing weeks - all of which will be played at home with the top four teams from the round-robin format progressing to the semi-finals.

Each game is likely to demand something different of the Premier, hence the need for adaptability. Ryan feels that his squad have all the attributes to cope with the heavy schedule.

“We won’t be going into this championship with a specific gameplan, because we’re going to have to adapt and be flexible,” Ryan explained.

“You don't know what the opposition are going to bring, you don’t know what their playing style is going to be, so you have to judge it as you go. But we have a talented bunch of girls there. We have some lovely strikers of the ball, some very intelligent players as well. So, they can play both ways - they can go direct or they play the short passing game.”

So, are Tipp capable of actually winning this year’s All-Ireland championship? Quite possibly, but in reality, nobody knows. Generating momentum will be essential. If Tipp can snatch a result in Kilkenny next weekend, then the championship may suddenly open up in front of them. But there are hurdles at every corner. Ryan knows it. The competition is fierce, and it isn’t just the usual powerhouses which will provide the biggest challenges.

“The days of a few teams being completely dominant is over, because every county is putting an awful lot into underage development,” said the Tipp manager.

“It’s happening in Tipperary - we have under-15, 16, 17 development squads. But we’re not the only ones with those systems. Every county is doing it. I know Waterford have invested huge resources into development for example. So no longer are the likes of Cork, Galway, Kilkenny and Tipperary the dominant forces. The playing field is more even.”