Incremental progress but certainly a missed opportunity for Tipp footballers

By Stephen Barry

It was a National Football League Division 4 campaign of fine margins and regrets. Rewind to Longford last month. Had Tipperary converted their last-gasp winning attempt, or avoided shipping a fortuitous goal, it would be the Premier promoted and heading to Croke Park this Saturday.

That said, every county from places three through seven will carry their share of what-ifs with them. What if Wicklow held onto their 11-point lead against Longford? What if London held onto their 12-point lead over Leitrim? What if Antrim hadn’t frittered away their first three games? What if Leitrim hadn’t conceded a last-gasp two-point free in Wicklow? Any of those results could’ve changed the identity of the promoted teams.

It didn’t count for much in the end, but Longford’s late turnaround against Wicklow sunk Tipp from third to fifth in the final standings.

Last year, that final-day drop to fifth place knocked Tipp down to bottom seeds in the Tailteann Cup group-stage draw. Such a penalty doesn’t apply this year. With that competition reverting to an open-draw format, seeding doesn’t enter the equation.

The cold, hard facts show that Tipp finished in the bottom half of Division 4 for the third year in a row. There are markers of incremental progress, though. In 2024, they recorded one win and two draws. In 2025, they recorded two wins and one draw. In 2026, they recorded three wins and two draws. Slow but measurable progress.

At times, frustratingly inconsistent progress – the Blue & Gold sandwiched 13-point victories over Leitrim and Waterford with a 14-point defeat to Wicklow in between – but progress, nevertheless.

The opportunity lost from Tipp missing out on promotion is the likelihood that Division 4 looks stronger next year. It will contain two Ulster teams, Antrim and Fermanagh, for the first time since 2019. Antrim and Wicklow began the year as promotion favourites but fell short. They will be back in the mix again. Limerick defeated Fermanagh on the final day but results elsewhere sentenced them to relegation.

All the same, with another year behind them, Tipp should be in a stronger position to contend for promotion by 2027.

Their cruise past winless Waterford wasn’t as impressive as the result sounds. Had the Déise’s square-ball goal been allowed, the scoreboard would’ve taken on a much different complexion, 2-9 to 1-10, approaching half-time. Still, it’s no harm for Niall Fitzgerald to see his side prevail by scoring four goals and find so much room for improvement.

They won well without a handful of experienced players such as Steven O’Brien, Mark Stokes, and Luke Boland. That much is a positive, although concerns over O’Brien’s fitness will be a worry for the Munster Championship. Having averaged an hour’s action across six successive league games, the Ballina man pulled up during the warm-up at Semple Stadium.

For someone whose focus had been on hurling until so recently, Paddy Creedon put in a decent shift in his place. The Thurles Sarsfields unit assisted four first-half points on his first league start in two years.

Of course, Seán O’Connor took the headlines with his 3-4 haul from seven shots. Cian Smith was just as prominent as he got off ten shots, scoring seven, while pulling the strings in attack. He caught Shane Garland’s kick-out to spark a flowing move for a half-chance of goal for Paudie Feehan and played the link man for Joe Higgins’ rocket.

Feehan also got forward to force the penalty and assist O’Connor’s second goal. Each green flag of O’Connor’s hat-trick originated from rumbling the Waterford kick-out. Tipp should’ve had another from a botched short kick-out. It underlines the importance of securing primary possession when the opposition are most vulnerable.

Tipp’s full-forward line have played close to the maximum 490 minutes across the league, with O’Connor tallying 4-42, Smith 0-36, and Daithí Hogan 1-11. That accounts for 75% of the Premier’s total score (7-117).

Tipp still could do with a couple more scores from elsewhere. Their half-forward line was industrious but scoreless. That trio didn’t get off a shot against Waterford.

Wing-back Charlie King got a fine point but seemed to be shooting from the wrong side for a left-footed kicker with three prior wides. The Ballina clubman, who was named in the Sigerson Cup Team of the Year last week, will be a cornerstone of this Premier team.

He was one of ten players to start every game in the league: Garland, Jack Harney, Kieran Costello, James Morris, King, Higgins, Feehan, and the full-forward line. But for injury, his clubmate O’Brien would’ve made it eleven.

It’s a settled side as Tipp approach championship. Manus McFadden has returned to the team midway through the league and made a corner-back berth his own. He kept Alan Dunwoody on a tight rein, snatching two early turnovers and harassing him into a wayward shot to set the tone.

While Fitzgerald felt Tipp allowed Waterford a few handy scores, there were some impressive block-downs from the likes of Feehan (twice), Harney, and McFadden. They end with the second-best defence in Division 4, behind Carlow.

The second half was a limp affair, although Tipp did convert 1-8 from eleven shots against Waterford’s 0-8 from fifteen shots.

These two will meet again at Fraher Field on April 12th in the Munster quarter final. Expect more than the 141 dead-rubber crowd and a little more spice on that occasion.

The province isn’t a priority for Fitzgerald, but a semi-final against Cork or Limerick would be a decent yardstick of this team’s capabilities.