Moloney absence blow as busy Power takes the helm

LADIES FOOTBALL: LIDL National League Division 2 Preview

By Thomas Conway

WEXFORD v TIPPERARY

Samaritan’s St Patrick’s Park, Enniscorthy

Sunday, 25th January

Throw-in @ 2.00pm

Referee: Conor McCarthy (Cork)

When David Power was unveiled as the new manager of the Tipperary senior ladies football team last September, the news reverberated quickly across the Gaelic games landscape.

There was a universal feeling of surprise, shock even. This was quite the coup for Tipp ladies’ football, and it was also a major appointment for the game in a far broader sense. Power is a vastly accomplished manager in the men’s game, a wily tactician with a myriad of titles and achievements to his name.

His signature success is, and always will be, the Tipperary men’s team’s historic Munster Championship triumph in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 2020, a century on from Michael Hogan’s death at the hands of British soldiers in Croke Park on Bloody Sunday.

The 42 year-old has now made the jump across the gender divide into the women’s sphere, and he hopes to do for Tipperary ladies’ football what he has done and still is for their male counterparts.

Right now, however, the Kilsheelan-Kilcash clubman is spinning three different plates. As well as his role with Tipp, Power is at the helm of a pretty decent University of Limerick side which have a genuine shot at winning this year’s Sigerson Cup. He’s also involved with CBS High School in Clonmel, which last week ground out a four point victory over a hotly fancied Clonakilty Community College in the Corn Uí Mhuirí (Munster Under 19A) quarter final.

In relation to UL and the Sigerson, Power is quietly confident. Winning the league before Christmas gave the group a major “confidence boost,” he says, while subsequent victories over Munster Technological University (MTU) and reigning Sigerson champions DCU have added to their sense of belief. He points out that there are five Tipperary players on the panel, two of whom have vital roles in the team - Ballina’s Charlie King has been starting at midfield while Daithí Hogan (St. Patrick’s) is regularly first off the bench.

Regarding High School Clonmel, he acknowledges that there is “a huge possibility of getting to a Corn Uí Mhuirí final,” but also emphasises that the squad has “a good bit of work to do on Milltown,” their next opponents, who they will play in the semi-final next Saturday.

Power is certain that the current Tipperary senior manager, Niall Fitzgerald, has been taking note of the performances of both sides, and expresses hope that some of the players might be integrated into the Tipp set-up in the years to come.

Aussie Rules

Assessing the prospects of the Tipperary ladies at the outset of any season is never an easy feat. Invariably, one key question frames the discussion: will the Aussie Rules players be available? Power at least offers some clarity in this regard. Of the five Tipp athletes currently plying their trade down under, only one will be part of the Tipp set-up this year.

“Aishling Moloney, Aisling McCarthy, Orla O’Dwyer, Caitlin Kennedy and Niamh Martin all out in Australia. The only one of them we’ll have playing up to May will be Niamh Martin. Everyone else won’t be part of the squad,” he revealed.

On the broader question of players moving to Australia and whether it diminishes the status of ladies’ football, Power admits that the game here is certainly losing out. However, he understands the players’ perspective as well and underlines the fact that the problem is not exclusive to Tipp - 39 Irish players featured in the 2025 AFLW season, five of whom were named in the All-Australian team of the year.

“It’s a major blow to Tipperary when there are five girls going to Australia,” he added.

“But on the flip side you have to look at it from the girls’ point of view as well. It’s a massive opportunity for the girls to go and play professional sport and also get the experience of going out to Australia. Look, what can you do? It’s very, very hard, but Tipp isn’t the only county.”

Huge potential

They might be bereft of some of the county’s finest footballers, but Power still believes there is “huge potential” in this group of Tipperary players. After all, they smashed a glass ceiling last season under Ed Burke, qualifying for a first All-Ireland quarter-final in over four decades, in which they were comprehensively defeated by Meath.

The new Tipp manager describes his squad as a “very committed bunch”, but stresses that there is “work to be done". Tipp have fared well in a number of challenge games against Division 1 sides, he says, and are now ready to take on the league.

The Premier will kick off their Division 2 campaign with an away clash against Wexford this Sunday, before welcoming Cavan to the Premier the following week.

He doesn’t specify concrete goals, but you can bet that attaining promotion from Division 2 is a top priority. Beyond that, Tipp will inevitably be judged on the standards of last year, and making another All-Ireland quarterfinal is therefore the benchmark.

Could they go further? They have to get there first, but Power has led Tipp sides to some remarkable places in the past. Who’s to say he won’t do it again.