Tipp running out of excuses after another soft display

By Noel Dundon

Tipperary were so far off the pace on Saturday in the Tailteann Cup clash with Sligo at FBD Semple Stadium, that the game was over as a contest by the twenty-minute mark.

At that stage, Sligo had already kicked nine points against Tipperary's solitary score from Sean O'Connor which came in the fourteenth minute.

But, it was much more than that - Sligo were flying up and down the field; fully tuned in; playing with method; and they just looked like a side which meant business.

Tipperary, by contrast, were the perfect hosts - obliging and facilitating and doing little to offend the visitors from Connacht.

While the deficit was cut to four points at one stage in the first half, you never felt that Tipperary would land any significant blows to the torso of the Sligo machine. They always seemed to be just keeping their heads above water and never really looked as though they would actually front crawl their way back into the game.

Instead, Sligo threatened the Premier County goal and when the dam broke in the 31st minute with that Niall Murphy penalty after Alan McLoughlin had been fouled, there was no holding back the swell any longer.

A minute later, Sligo had netted again - Sean Carrabine slicing through the defence before flashing the ball across Evan Comerford and into the bottom corner. 2-11 to 0-5 at half time - it really was game over.

The truth is Sligo were on a different planet in comparison to Tipperary. They were playing like a team which had designs on winning the Tailteann Cup, rather than a team which was just going through the motions. That might seem like a harsh assessment, but that is certainly the way it appeared.

It's a curious predicament for the Tipp lads right now. They are training very well and doing all that is asked of them, but yet they are finding it very hard to get a break. Maybe you make your own breaks in these games and as they ready themselves for the clash with Wexford, they have to know that higher energy and tempo is absolutely necessary if they are to get anything from a season which promised much but has delivered nothing but heartache.

Players need to really drive themselves into the ground for the jersey - particularly those in the vital middle third. That's where these games are being won and lost - the ability to stifle the opposition and provide the ammunition for the sharpshooters has to be enhanced and greater endeavour just has to be found.

Tipperary has endured a big turnover of players in recent times, but the time for the new guns to step up is here now. Yes, it takes time for integration, but speeding up the process has to be on the agenda, beginning with the next outing against Wexford.

Tipp have a slight chance of redemption - let's hope they can grasp that opportunity with both hands.