THIRD EYE - Tipp are adjusting to the modern game

By Sean Flynn

Over the last couple of years, I have found it hard to watch a game of inter-county hurling which has not involved Limerick. While I enjoy the chaos, skills, and flow to these games between the rest of the Liam MacCarthy Cup teams, I just kept analysing passages of play during the games and think ‘You won’t get away with that against the Green Machine’.

However, Saturday last was not of them and despite the concession of goals, you just are excited about the way this Tipperary team is playing. Under Liam Cahill, they are evolving with a mix of new and experienced players. It finally feels we are making some adjustments to the way we play and position our team which in turn is keeping us alive in games.

Middle Third Battleground

The middle third of the pitch is really a key battle ground in the modern game and it has been an area which Tipperary have struggled in over the last number of years. Teams have found it easy to turn Tipp over in possession when attacking as the opposition outnumber our players. We had players in that area, but it just felt that they were there for the sake of it. Tipp had no width and any passes attempted were in a condescend area. We were passing the pressure on to another Tipp player rather than progressing the play. Any long deliveries to our forwards were rushed, under pressure, and were not being hit to the advantage of the forwards.

Off the shoulder is a common word used now in hurling, but it really is a football term for a handpass to a man coming in proximity. Teams, at a lot of levels, seem to be putting a huge emphasis on the off-shoulder game which involves playing possession games in tight areas and it leads to a lot of passes in games, which are not very progressive. At times it often feels like players are playing with blinkers on.

Hurling is all about using the width of the pitch and being able to find the best option for a pass. The adage we all hear that ‘the ball travels fast than the man’. Tipperary used the width of the pitch when in possession in the middle third to excellent effect on Saturday last and utilised the stick pass to compliment the positioning of their team with the ball. Cork tried to suffocate Tipperary in the middle third by committing bodies to this area in the hope that Cahill’s men would try run through them. But players like Seamus Kennedy held their width and this gave the Tipp players in possession a man to find which beat the Cork press.

Out of possession, players like Alan Tynan, Conor Stakelum, Noel McGrath, and Dan McCormack are doing the donkey work in the middle of the pitch. They closed the area for the Cork half forwards who dropped deep. In the past, this would have been a job for the half backs who would have to make in the moment decisions on whether to go with their man or hold their position. When this line of the pitch held their position, it often resulted in the Tipperary half backs being caught in no man’s land and being taken out of the game.

Last Saturday, Tipperary turned over Cork in possession in the middle third on twenty occasions and scored 0-9 from them. There is progress being made, conceding nineteen points in a game of inter-county hurling is a win for a team when out of possession. Cahill’s men conceded fifteen less shots than they did against Clare.

An Inside Forward Line built for the Modern Game

A modern game of hurling sees a two-man full forward lines which requires, pace, physicality, and an ability to drop the shoulder to take on a defender when in possession. The Tipperary inside line was led by Jake Morris and Mark Kehoe and the pair were involved in eighteen of Tipperary’s 42 shots. These two players possess the ability to stretch defences by running at them and they ask the opposition a question in relation to how they set up as they possess the ability to hurt teams with pace. The presence of these two players on the inside line allowed Cahill to drop some of his other forwards even deeper down the field to tighten the defensive unit.

Puck-out Improvement

Tipperary had a poor outing on puck-outs, for and against, when they played Clare, but Saturday saw a huge improvement on Tipp’s long puck-out, despite the first goal being conceded off a puck-out.

Gearoid O’Connor and Mark Kehoe were vital targets to win primary possession and break the ball for other players. Tipperary secured possession on three out of five occasions when it was hit on O’Connor and Cahill’s men secured possession on all five puck-outs that were targeted on Kehoe. It is vital that O’Connor and Kehoe are playing well during play as it keeps them on the pitch as it gives Barry Hogan solid options from the restarts.

Progress

As the weeks go by, the Tipperary players are progressing their game under Liam Cahill and Michael Bevans. Saturday’s game was excellent preparation for Limerick on Sunday week. The dynamics for that game will be fascinating but personally I do not think it should be used as a barometer of how this team is progressing. The Tipperary players are giving us everything we want from any Tipp team; they are backing up their hurling ability with hard work and character. That game was lost and won on several occasions, but they just kept coming at Cork.