Footballers progress in 2025 has been minimal

By Stephen Barry

For any team that doesn’t win silverware, the big end-of-year question is: Have you made progress?

On the evidence of senior results alone, it’s hard to discern a major rise from Tipperary football’s slump just yet.

In 2023, David Power’s final year, Tipp produced two wins from twelve games, albeit while fielding in Division 3. Paul Kelly’s 2024 tenure resulted in an identical two wins from twelve.

Philly Ryan’s debut campaign didn’t reach the Tailteann Cup knockout stages but did yield three wins from twelve.

However, by Ryan’s metric of success, the answer to ‘Have you made progress?’ won’t be known until we see the shape of Tipp’s 2026 squad.

The recent managerial changes have brought a slew of debutants. Kelly fielded fifteen newcomers in 2024. Ten of those didn’t reappear in 2025.

Ryan has blooded seventeen debutants this year. The hope is that the current crop proves more durable. Tipp can’t start back at square one again next winter.

When it comes to game time, the signs would appear more positive. Shane Ryan, Manus McFadden, Jack O’Neill, Micheál Freaney, Cian Smith, and Daithí Hogan have become regulars. The underage revival at U20 and minor level adds to that sense of something growing.

The circumstances of Tipp’s Tailteann exit weren’t the greatest advertisement, though, for player retention or recruitment.

Leitrim had failed to win all year, albeit in Division 3, gave a walkover in one game, and are even more reliant on their U20s. Yet, Tipp never raised a gallop.

It was a poor standard from the off. In the first half, the teams took a combined 24 shots and converted just six. Leitrim screwed a handful of kicks badly wide as they failed to score for sixteen minutes. Tipp hardly engaged the inside line as they failed to score from the 20th minute to half-time.

The Premier played the first half with a decent wind advantage. You would hardly tell. They kicked two scores, a one- and two-pointer, across the 35 minutes. They had four wides, three of which came from outside the arc. Twice, they dropped shots short. Their only real goal chance came in the final play of the half.

The cardinal sin was how passive Tipp were. Philly Ryan insisted that they had intended to press up, but that instruction was not carried through. They lacked energy as Leitrim were allowed to build attacks at their leisure.

Tipp were most vulnerable in their full-back line. Their first-choice selection of McFadden, Jimmy Feehan, and Jack Harney were decimated by injury. Two didn’t tog out. The other exited the field twice in a luckless first half.

The Connacht men sensed an opportunity to unlock the defence with their running game and gave plenty of advance warning. Captain Mark Diffley came forward from full-back in the opening play and was about to pull the trigger, only for Steven O’Brien’s brilliant turnover.

In their next attack, there were green and gold runners coming from all angles as Ben Guckian was denied by a heroic McFadden block. That proved a five-point swing as Smith landed an orange-flag opener at the other end.

However, a dazed McFadden was forced off the field for a spell. On his return, he overcarried, and a patient Leitrim counter-attack generated the first green flag for Jack Flynn.

The second goal also originated from Leitrim turning over the Tipp attack. Smith robbed the ball only for Freaney to be tied up in possession. In a pre-rehearsed routine, goalkeeper Daire O’Shea came out to punt a free-kick long for Barry McNulty. The towering midfielder won the ball and sent Tom Prior away for a terrific finish.

Leitrim would utilise that O’Shea-to-McNulty routine again in the second half with success, leading directly to a Flynn point. He, like Prior later on, could’ve shown more ambition and gone for goal. After all, Leitrim needed to chase down an imposing score-difference deficit.

The third goal was a copy-and-paste turnover and counter-attack. Seán O’Connor’s shot was blocked down, and Leitrim exploited the space for Joe McGloin’s straightforward finish.

Jason Madigan prevented a Donal Casey goal, while McNulty and Riordan O’Rourke could’ve added two more in stoppage time but missed the target.

Impressive youngster O’Neill and Darragh Brennan combined to carve out three goal openings for Tipp. None were taken.

The Premier converted just 32% of their shots. Leitrim ended on 41%, but that 3-3 mined from turnovers proved the difference.

Star forward Sean O’Connor was a marginal figure as he didn’t get a shot off until a 47th minute free. Perhaps not fully fit and showing signs of rust, it dropped wide. He cut an unhappy figure when called ashore ten minutes later.

The game was still within reach at that juncture, but the malaise was contagious. That wide was followed by back-to-back sloppy passes. Paudie Feehan booted one over its target and into the stand. Then, Conor Fahey, who made an impact on his introduction, passed back to keeper Ryan. Under the new rules, the No. 1 wasn’t allowed to play the ball. Emmet Moloney got back to mop up.

Tipp were simply off their game in every facet. Still, they finished with four late points and a pair of goal chances. In the context of their previous fade-outs, Philly Ryan identified that much as progress.

Post-game, Ryan and Leitrim boss Stephen Poacher both referred to building “robustness” in their squads over the off-season. Their young players need to develop power and stamina to close the conditioning deficit against more established teams. That was also Paul Kelly’s realisation at the end of his 2024 stay.

What happens in the coming months will be vital for Ryan’s ambitions to build upon their green shoots.