Patience required but frustration over one that got away for Tipp Footballers

By Michael Dundon

Anyone who thought that promotion from division four of the National Football League would be comfortably within Tipperary’s grasp this year was greatly mistaken, as the current campaign clearly indicates.

Just past the half-way point in the seven game programme, Tipperary have recorded one win (Longford), one draw (London), and shipped defeats at the hands of Carlow and, on Sunday, Laois, both at home. It is certainly not the form of promotion hopefuls.

Tipperary’s remaining games are against Waterford, this Sunday, and then Wexford, also both at home, with the final game away to Leitrim. Can anyone predict with confidence a hat-trick of wins for the Premier boys? And even if they won all three games the loss of five points in their opening four games would be their undoing.

Granted Tipp have had the measure of Waterford in recent years and will expect to take full points from that encounter, but Wexford and Leitrim are a different proposition. Beatable, yes, but also well capable of doing a number on Tipperary.

The reality is that division four is a very competitive grouping. Like Tipperary, many of the counties languishing there feel they are too good for it and should not be operating at that level but in a results driven sport, the statistics do not lie. They define your status. Three points out of eight is simply not good enough, and while last Sunday’s loss to Laois, and the point dropped in London, had the element of hard luck about them, most would argue that in sport you make your own luck and that has not been happening for Tipperary.

So, whither Tipperary? Manager Paul Kelly has undertaken a rebuilding process and it is going to take time for it to begin to show results. He has handed senior inter-county debuts to an array of young players who, while quickly adapting to the demands of the higher intensity of inter-county competition, are still in the learning process. This is a work in progress with still some way to go.

It is a process that has been hampered by the unavailability of a strong core of seasoned campaigners whose experience would be immensely important in the development of the younger set. Tipperary cannot afford to be without quality players like Steven O’Brien or Conor Sweeney, while Mark Russell and Stephen Quirke who were also bedding in nicely, are also sidelined at the moment. The impact their return will make on this young squad will be watched with interest.

Patience is the key word at the moment. Paul Kelly was concerned when taking charge that the pre-season was some weeks behind other counties. With a squad that includes so many novices to the demands, physically and mentally, of top-flight competition this set Tipperary at an immediate disadvantage as they sought to play catch-up on the others. Progress is being made but the ground lost initially is not easily recovered.

It is also worth noting that not all the county’s footballing talent have made themselves available to wear the county jersey for one reason or another. Not all are prepared to commit to the hugely demanding preparation required now to operate at this level. In a county with a relatively shallow pool of inter-county class players the absentees are missed.

Further to that, Tipperary’s record at underage level in recent years has been disappointing. Consequently, the number of younger players coming through who have the necessary attributes for senior ranks is limited. In a county like Tipperary where hurling is the dominant game, football suffers when young players have to make a choice between games. The day of the dual player is long gone. No athlete could prepare properly to play both games at the highest level at the same time. Something has to give, and in Tipperary, like most of the strong hurling counties, hurling will invariably be the first option for any aspiring young player.

That said, the Tipp manager is happy with the quality and commitment of the “young guns” currently on board and believes there is lots of potential in the county. He and his backroom team have been working on developing a pattern of play that is compatible with the talent at their disposal. Performances have been improving but this is not going to happen overnight – hence the need for patience on the part of county board, supporters, and players to allow the process to take its course.

And not just patience – encouragement too. Being in the bottom tier of the National league is not a comfortable situation for Tipperary and it is all too easy to pour scorn on the efforts of those seeking to redress the situation. Of course, there is disappointment when results don’t match expectations but that is when it is most important for all to get behind the campaign to restore former prestige.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. The glory of the 2020 Munster success seems light years away, but a strategy has been put in place to make up the ground lost. It must be given its chance to achieve its goal.