Hurling’s forgotten team must rise to Limerick challenge

The challenge before Tipperary next Sunday in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship couldn’t be greater.

GAA: Munster Senior Hurling Championship Round 2 Preview

By Shane Brophy

LIMERICK v TIPPERARY

TUS Gaelic Grounds, Limerick

Sunday, 28th April

Throw-in @ 4.00pm

Referee: Liam Gordon (Galway)

Going into the home of the four-time & five-time defending Munster & All-Ireland champions with a baying crowd of 30,000 Limerick fans baying for blood as the Tipperary slaves enter their Colosseum.

Not only that, they play a Limerick side coming off a win over Clare in Ennis, but in a game where they played second fiddle for large parts, however a combination of champions composure, sheer belief, a little luck, and Clare weakness, saw them turn a nine-point deficit into a three point win inside the last twenty minutes.

Limerick had only nine points registered by the 53rd minute, a combination of tigerish Clare play and wastefulness from the Shannonsiders. Limerick, under John Kiely and Paul Kinnerk, are a team based on high standards and last Sunday was a long way from their best and that is what makes Tipperary’s task even tougher.

However, it is also a fabulous opportunity for Tipperary to make a statement. Arguably, they are the forgotten team in this Munster Championship. It isn’t just because they didn’t play in the first round, even Waterford had more chat about them despite their poor record, because of the Davy factor.

Tipp weren’t in many pundits top-three to come out of the province, largely based on how last years championship finished as well as the lacklustre end to the national league. However, last weekends action in both the hurling & football championships re-enforced the belief that, League is League, Championship is Championship.

From the moment the final whistle sounded in Corrigan Park on March 16th last following the national league group stage win over Antrim, Tipperary were in championship mode. The league semi-final performance against Clare in a horse-racing parlance would have had Tipperary up before the stewards in the aftermath questioning how well prepared and focused they were for that game in Portlaoise. Let’s call a spade a spade, they weren’t, and you could see it in every aspect of their game, from their lack of touch and spark to their poor finishing which is usually their calling card.

The doubts surrounding this Tipperary team at the moment are largely around the lack of a settled team post-league. Certainly, there are questions in terms of goalkeeper with Rhys Shelly and Barry Hogan both getting three games each. Centre-back hasn’t been solved to any great extent with Robert Byrne getting the lions share of the time there as doubts remain over Bryan O’Mara’s long-term suitability there.

Midfield is also a conundrum with it looking like Willie Connors plus another, with little difference in the type of player who could link up with him in Dan McCormack, Conor Stakelum, Eoghan Connolly or Alan Tynan. Up front, vice-captain Jake Morris, Jason Forde and Gearoid O’Connor look to be the only nailed-on starters with a combination of some of the midfielders already mentioned filling into the half-forward line.

The last five weeks inside the gates of Dr. Morris Park in Thurles and a couple of days warm-weather training in Portugal last week were where Tipp’s championship battle-plan was fine-tuned. 38 players got game-time in the league, including Seamus Kennedy who is ruled out for rest of the season. In giving so many players exposure, Liam Cahill and his management will have challenged every player to use training as the place to put themselves in the frame for selection, with a ferocious in-house game a week after the Clare loss a welcome sign that Tipp are reading themselves for the battles to come.

In giving Shelly and Hogan three league games each, the last five weeks will have been about who wants it more. Hogan is a safer bet between around the square, but Shelly’s proficiency with his puckouts, particularly affective against this Limerick team last year might see him get the nod.

The management look to have nailed their colours to the mast in terms of captain Ronan Maher being at full-back with Craig Morgan along side him. Cathal Barrett was the only front line player not seen during the league with a persistent hamstring problem which flared up again recently against Laois in a challenge game and must now be rated as doubtful, particularly considering how vulnerable he looked without match-practise against Galway last year in the Gaelic Grounds coming off missing five weeks with a concussion.

You could think Ronan Maher will go on Aaron Gillane with Michael Breen potentially picking up Seamus Flanagan, allowing Craig Morgan to possibly pick up Peter Casey, with the Limerick forward available after missing the Clare game through suspension.

Crucially, in getting their match-ups right in defence, it can’t be all about stopping Limerick, Tipp have to bring something themselves in an attacking sense and crucial to that will be their half-back line which should include Bryan O’Mara (wing or centre) and Conor Bowe, particularly in terms of long range shooting as if Limerick sit back in numbers as they did in the second half against Clare and cut out the space for the opposition forwards, the best way to negate that is have long range shooters to try and draw them out.

Robert Byrne would certainly have the physicality to match-up well with Limerick but lacks experience, but Liam Cahill likes his mentality. A safer bet would be Dan McCormack who is familiar in that role for Borris-Ileigh and would give cover to his full-back line.

The biggest selection issue ahead of Friday’s team announcement is whether there is a place for Noel McGrath. The veteran remains a class act and against a Limerick side where using the ball well is so important, you would think a place has to be found for him. He wasn’t over-used in the league with the aim of keeping as much energy in reserve as possible as he started last years championship so well but gradually his influence on games waned the longer it went on.

There is a horses for courses element to how Tipperary might line-up against Limerick compared to Waterford whom the Premier play six days later. Patrick Maher might seem better suited to starting against Limerick than the Deise, but you’d also welcome the sight of him coming off the bench on Sunday, bringing his all-action approach.

A fit again Mark Kehoe offers so much as an inside forward, but his lack of consistency remains his short-coming. One of this best starts in a Tipp jersey was against Limerick in Thurles last summer but, like Bonner Maher, is also an effective option off the bench, as is John McGrath.

Sean Kenneally has been one of the bright spots to emerge from the league campaign and should feature prominently throughout the campaign, while Sean Hayes has the pace and running to cause teams problems, however both lack experience and that is what is needed most of all on Sunday.

However, there is also a case for a bolter and while hasn’t featured in the league, don’t be surprised if Darragh McCarthy features at some point this Sunday, particularly as he might well not be able to feature against Waterford as the under 20’s have a game that same weekend which comes within the sixty-hour rule. The Toomevara youngster would be an under the radar selection for many but what he doesn’t lack is confidence and relief and would relish an occasion such as this if his number is called.

One thing we learned from the opening round of the championship is that it remains unpredictable. Limerick are hot favourites but Tipp have the quality to go into the Ennis Road and get a result, the big question is, have they got the toughness and the nerve?

Tipperary team v Limerick