Kilkenny will provide a truer test of Tipp U23's
By Joe Scully
It was a case of job done for Tipp under 23 manager Bryan Darcy after his sides victory over Waterford on Sunday in the second round of the All-Ireland championship.
“We always knew it was going to be a tough fixture, Waterford are a very physical side, and we knew we would have to match them in that regard,” he said of their opponents whom they defeated in the Munster semi-final last month also.
“We felt we didn’t produce our best last week in the draw with Dublin, we were a small bit under par, and the girls knew that themselves and were looking for a response today, and we got it in the end.
“The first half we were a bit off it, still, made a couple of silly mistakes but in the second half the girls really upped the performance, and we introduced a couple of players to keep the freshness in it, and we got a comfortable win in the end.”
Nenagh Eire Og clubman Darcy was also very happy with how well his team defended, as they only conceded one point from play in the game.
“The defence was excellent I thought,” he continued “but overall, it was a very good team performance. There is a good group of players there, they always give everything they have and that’s all you can ask for.”
Next up for Tipp is a trip to neighbours Kilkenny on Friday evening and the Tipp manager knows that it will be a tough test for his side, as they go in search of a second win on the trot, and a victory that will put them in a strong position to qualify for the knockout stages.
“Absolutely, that will be a tough challenge,” Darcy said.
“We went to play Dublin last weekend, and that was done and dusted.
“Today was the game we were concentrating on, and we got the three points today, which is what we were looking for, but now it’s onto Kilkenny next Friday and no matter what level you play Kilkenny at it will be a tough game, and we know we will be in for a battle here too. We will go away now during the week and prepare as best we can and give it our best come gametime.”