Tipp aim to escape relegation playoff
By Thomas Conway
It's amazing how quickly fortunes can change in sport. How once triumphant sides can suddenly slip through the cracks and find themselves struggling to survive in the lower tiers.
Relegation can do awful things to a team, but it can also create space for regeneration. Successive relegations, on the other hand, are almost exclusively negative in their effects. Think Leeds United - cast adrift from the Premier League and sent floating through the lower divisions. It took years for the Elland Road club to regain the sense of pride which once chimed from the stands.
If the Tipperary ladies footballers lose to Clare next Sunday (FBD Semple Stadium at 2.00pm), they will find themselves staring at the prospect of another relegation play-off, this time from division 2. You can argue that demotion to the third tier of the National League might not be the end of the world, given that Tipp remain a senior championship team. Still, such a development would seriously upset the morale of a side which at times seems to burgeon with potential.
In order to avoid a relegation play-off, Tipp must overcome Clare at FBD Semple Stadium, following the Banner County's 1-13 to 0-7 defeat to Kerry last weekend in Doonbeg.
Underestimate them at your peril, but one suspects that Tipp might have the measure of this Clare side. From a scoring perspective, they rely heavily on the sharpshooting of corner-forward Fidelma Marrinan, who racked up 2-6 (2-5 from play) in Clare's opening round clash with Laois. That fixture, which ended in a five-point Laois victory, will probably be regarded as a missed opportunity for this Clare side, considering that they hit their opponents for 2-2 inside the first ten minutes, before gradually allowing the game to slip from their grasp.
Beyond Marrinan, Clare's attacking threat is likely to stem from the midfield partnership of Ellie O'Gorman and Aisling Reidy, both of whom have the physical attributes to confront Caitlin and Anna Rose Kennedy. However, the battle for the middle third may ultimately come down to endurance. The Kennedy sisters will need assistance over the course of the sixty-plus minutes, which is why Tipp's half-back line could prove crucial. If Sarah English is given the freedom to burst forward and consistently influence the play, like she did sporadically against Laois, then Tipp should gain the upper hand.
Across the way in Division 2B, Cavan and Tyrone are slogging it out behind Monaghan and Armagh. Whichever side finishes bottom will present a very real danger to their opponents. Ulster football is renowned for its spine and physical fortitude. These teams know how to win games, in awful conditions, under difficult circumstances. The weather won't bother them, and the same can be said for Clare, whose players are probably pretty accustomed to harsh Atlantic winds.
What might unsettle the Banner however, is Tipp's ability to transition the ball at pace. It served them well against Laois, though their attack frequently seemed to break down beyond the opposition 45. If they refrain from carrying the ball into the contact and instead spray it towards the wings, then scoring chances should abound.
The trouble is, in the absence of Aishling Moloney, Tipp are missing a marquee forward. Captain Maria Curley was initially deployed at full-forward against Laois but ended up tracking back endlessly and finishing the game in a more defensive role. Emma Morrissey and Angela McGuigan can certainly kick points, and while both are swift-moving and slick in possession, they require a constant ball supply to the corners - which isn't always forthcoming.
The consequences of losing this game are not fatal, but they are grave. Both Tipp and Clare will be acutely aware of this. The league is frequently described as a testing ground for new players and different systems. That will not be the case on Sunday. This is now a must-win game, but on balance, Tipp should have the resources to win it.