Munster target achieved but Kelly is targeting more
By Thomas Conway
Denis Kelly has been involved in the Tipperary set-up for the past several years, but he has never experienced the type of ecstasy that could be felt at the final whistle last Saturday in Thurles.
From a Tipp perspective, the sheer joyfulness of the occasion was something to behold. This Tipp team has been through thick and thin. They know what it feels like to suffer defeat in tight games. They know how much it hurts to lose out on a chance to land silverware. But now, finally, they know what it feels like to win.
For the Tipperary manager, this was all part of the plan. Speaking in the aftermath, the Toomevara man revealed that Tipperary had indeed targeted Munster Championship success at the beginning of this year, admitting that Tipp’s early departure from the league allowed the squad to invest in several weeks of high intensity training.
“We got a good block of training in after the league, so that gave us an opportunity to get ourselves prepped for the Munster Championship. And we wanted to have a good crack at Munster,” he revealed.
“That was our plan all along, from the very start of the year, to target Munster and see how far we could go. And thankfully it worked out well for us.
“But now we turn our attention immediately to the All-Ireland Championship, to Dublin in four weeks’ time. So really the challenge now is to refocus, to regroup and approach that game just like we have every other match this year.
“We’ll enjoy this victory, we’ll celebrate it, but we won’t become complacent, because you just can’t afford to at this level.”
Saturday’s victory felt more significant than just a Munster title. In truth, it felt like Tipp had finally come of age, in their own stadium, on their own terms. They produced an exhilarating performance, blitzing Clare with a barrage of early scores before controlling the rest of the game in a thoroughly professional manner.
In essence, their game-management was top class - storm the opposition, secure control, and then see it out. Clare offered a feeble resistance, but that was largely due to Tipp’s overall dominance. The Premier were just more advanced, and Kelly believes the win will supercharge Tipp’s confidence levels ahead of the beginning of their All-Ireland championship campaign.
“It’s definitely a huge help, to win the Munster Championship,” Kelly added.
“Just in terms of generating confidence amongst the squad, you can’t beat winning. Success does breed success, and we’ll be looking to use that confidence in our approach to the All-Ireland series. We’ll be hoping to get out there and play in the same vein, with the same confidence that we’ve shown in Munster.
“It has been a long time since Tipperary last won a national title at senior level, so last weekend was special, there’s no doubt about it. But as I’ve said, the challenge now will be to refocus and concentrate on the All-Ireland series, because we want to have a serious crack at that as well.”