Damage limitation exercise for Tipp against the champs

GAA: Munster Senior Football Championship Semi-Final Preview

By Shane Brophy

KERRY v TIPPERARY

Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney

Saturday, 22nd April

Throw-in @ 4.00pm (E.T. & Pens)

Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)

Live on GAAGO

Out of the frying pan, into the fire! That is the challenge facing the Tipperary senior footballers this Saturday afternoon as they go into the lions den to face All-Ireland champions Kerry in the Munster Championship semi-final.

As contests go, this isn’t expected to be much of a one. Kerry, the best team in the country in 2022 up against a Tipperary side who barely got over Waterford in the quarter-final, a side ranked probably second from bottom in the football rankings.

There is no one foolish to think that Tipperary have a chance of winning on Saturday. This isn’t being defeatist, it is just being realistic as coach/selector Declan Browne admitted following the win over Waterford.

“There is no point in saying that we are going to beat Kerry because we are not,” he said.

“We just need to get bodies right and get everyone back and prepare for the Tailteann Cup. It is another leg on the journey. There is no expectation on us so we will train hard and give it a go.”

The win over Waterford, Tipp’s first competitive victory of the year will have given the squad a boost in confidence which they’ll need to prepare themselves for the Kerry challenge. It is hard to know what we’ll get from the Kingdom at this stage of the year.

Their league campaign was that of a defending All-Ireland champion, mixing the good with the poor, but their focus was always likely to be on the championship.

That great rivals Cork have already come a cropper in Munster removes a target for them to get up for in thr short term as they aim to peak in around a months time when the new round-robin All-Ireland Championship begins.

Kerry have been able to float through Munster in recent years, bar the 2020 semi-final loss to Cork, but they’ll want to hit the round-robin with momentum as those games will be so competitive, they can’t afford to go into them sluggishly. However, such is the talent level at the disposal of manager Jack O’Connor, they should have few problems not at least getting to an All-Ireland quarter final, at least.

For Tipperary, their targets are more modest. Ideally, a good competitive performance with their reputation still in tact is what would be a good days work in Killarney. It is a free-swing in terms of the game but they don’t want to come away demoralised going into the Tailteann Cup.

Scoring has been difficult for Tipperary this year so they have got to be efficient in taking what few chances will come their way on Saturday. If the opportunity presents itself in front of goal, it is a shot worth taking, even if it goes wide as Tipp can then set-up defensively for what Kerry will bring the from the kick-out, and that is significant with David Clifford, Seanie O Se et al.

Tipperary have been quite open defensively in their games so far but I’d suspect they could have everyone behind the ball at times. They need to make it as hard as possible for Kerry, and if they get a turnover, transition at pace and in numbers.

Emmet Moloney was the only injury concern following the Waterford game with a dead-leg but should be good to go while skipper Steven O’Brien will have come on for the seventy minutes under his belt and his presence will be important as he is one of the few Tipperary players who can stand up physically to this imposing Kerry side. He will likely feature mostly in midfield on this occasion as service into the forwards is likely to be extremely curtailed but what does go in, Steven Quirke and Sean O’Connor need to make the best use of it.

From the Tipperary team that defeated Waterford in the quarter final to the side that lined out against Kerry in the Munster semi-final in 2021 at Semple Stadium, just six starters remain, and that doesn’t include Steven O’Brien and Paudie Feehan who came off the bench that evening.

There is no point in saying otherwise that this is a damage limitation exercise for the Premier County.