Tipp’s casual approach to possession is out of date

By Shane Brophy

You can point to any number of statistics to determine how and why a team failed to perform and ultimately lose a game. The stats (right) from Gaelic Statsman make grim reading from a Tipp point of view of Sunday’s loss to Cork, but the one that shines out most is the free count. That Tipp conceded just eight frees to Cork’s fifteen might appear a positive, but it is in fact a massive negative as it shows that Tipp couldn’t get close enough to Cork players to put pressure on to foul them.

That was the theme of the game, even in the first half when Tipperary went toe-to-toe with Cork and held a two point lead on thirty minutes, but already at that stage you felt they were threading water. Cork were getting their scores much more easily, not because of poor defending, but it was the quality of the ball coming in, largely bouncing right in front of the receiver who had to do little to gain possession.

Tipp were just never applying enough pressure on the deliverer around the middle third. Cork always seemed to have space and options compared to Tipperary who were playing a very direct style and it yielded some good scores, but too much of the ball being sent in was of the 50-50 variety rather than the 90:10 ball the Cork forwards were getting.

That type of style just won’t work anymore. Not even the top MacDonaghs Cup teams are that lax about protecting the ball and ensuring a teammate has the best possible chance of collecting the pass that comes their way.

To play that way, you need a high workrate and mobility, and Tipp showed they had that against Waterford, but this was more like the Limerick performance. While in improved on that, there was little spark to the play compared to Cork. Apart from the early minutes which led to Mark Kehoe’s goal and what should have been a black-card penalty on the same player, Tipp lacked the runners to really go at the Cork defence. Cork played everything at full speed, Tipp largely didn’t. When they did, they lacked options.

The goal after eighteen seconds was Mark Kehoe’s only scoring contribution in the game, but he was hugely effective in a ball-winning capacity and assisted in five points, but each time, he lacked support options in runners coming off the shoulder to turn them into goal chances. It epitomized the difference between the sides, Cork had a plan, Tipp looked like they were doing things off the cuff.

Playing as a team is vital in the modern game, who gets the scores is immaterial. Darragh Stakelum is still finding his way at senior level, but his first half point should have been a goal as Noel McGrath was unmarked across the goal screaming for a pass.

The recriminations from this defeat and the poor campaign as a whole can wait until after next Sunday’s clash with Clare but to capitulate twice in three games in the Munster Championship is a poor reflection on both the management and players.

Tipperary manager Liam Cahill claims the preparations in training are top-class, yet it is not leading to performances on the field over the last twelve months. I’d be surprised if the management haven’t tried a number of different things to rectify that, but it still keeps happening.

It doesn’t appear to be a fitness issue, but certainly Tipperary lack speed and athleticism compared to their four Munster rivals. However, you can be made look slower that you are when players lack the complete belief in that they are doing. Do they not buy-into the gameplans they work on in training, and how and why are they so mentally fragile from game to game.

They showed against Waterford that they could respond from setbacks in game, yet following the concession of the second, and particularly the third goals on Sunday, all the belief went out of the side. As good as the third Cork goal was in terms of set-up, it was embarrassing the way Cork were able to handpass the ball through the middle of the defence for Alan Connolly to complete his hat-trick.

Then there is also game awareness and accountability, on and off the field. Cathal Barrett would have known when he felt his hamstring early in the second half that his game was over yet following consultation with physio Paddy O’Brien he stayed on with disastrous consequences. The player should know, and if he doesn’t the manager makes the call.

Then there was the subsequent play where Barry Hogan actually gave a short puckout to Barrett, already carrying an injury and would need to run hard to break the tackle in possession, instead he was dispossessed by the hugely influential Brian Hayes, leading to Connolly’s second goal on 41 minutes which really broke the game open for Cork as Tipp were just about hanging in there.

There weren’t many green shoots from this performance. Hogan’s puckouts were quite good in the first half, particularly to runners in space but it appeared that plan A was to go long but Cork’s half-back line dominated the sky and the breaks.

Ronan Maher was once again heroic, but his blood-injury enforced absence in the three minutes before half time was huge as Cork plundered 1-2 in that period to take the momentum in at half time.

Alan Tynan had his moments in midfield while Eoghan Connolly really struggled with Darragh Fitzgibbon and will be also disappointed with the attempted tackle on Alan Connolly in the lead up to the first goal.

Up front, Tipp still aren’t getting the best out of the talent at their disposal. Mark Kehoe was the leading light while Jake Morris landed three from play but never looked like threatening a goal. Noel McGrath continues to do Noel McGrath things, but he can’t be expected to take the lead anymore.

Even the bench that impressed against Waterford failed to turn things around here where as Cork plundered five points, four in a row from Shane Kington on the right wing when he appeared to have the run of Semple Stadium.

We thought the 2022 loss of fifteen points to Cork was bad, this was worse in every way!