A draw that felt like a win for Tipp against Kilkenny

By Shane Brophy

Tipperary might not have recorded their first championship victory over Kilkenny since 2012 on Saturday evening but this draw certainly felt like one.

With Tipperary making incremental steps towards joining the elite band of the so-called ‘Big 3’ of Cork, Galway and defending All-Ireland champions Kilkenny, one of the staging posts is being able to beat one of them in championship. Tipp did beat Cork last year but the rebels didn’t field a full strength line-up whereas Kilkenny in their own back-yard is the ultimate test for any developing team. Much like their male counterparts, what you get from a Kilkenny camogie team on top of skill, is their sheer honesty and workrate, and Tipp more than matched them in that department on Saturday.

The reason Tipp failed to leave Nowlan Park with the win was they failed to take their chances when they were on top, one of the few remaining areas that this improving team have to address.

This was the pressurised game Tipp needed at this stage of the championship. Through Munster and the All-Ireland Series so far, they eased to wins over Waterford, Clare, Dublin and Wexford, but this was going to be their stiffest test so far, a true indication of their championship credentials.

While they were already qualified for the knockout stages, Tipp knew avoiding defeat to finish top of the group would possibly see them straight through to the semi-finals but lady luck was not on their side in the subsequent draw but a quarter final against Antrim is certainly within their capability of winning, providing the exertions of last Saturday evening haven’t taken too much of a toll.

One of the areas Tipperary needed to improve on from recent years where they reached four semi-finals in a row prior to 2022, was their strength and conditioning. They have as much ability as the leading teams but they needed to get fitter and stronger and on Saturday they more than matched Kilkenny in that regard.

They needed to be as Kilkenny were always going to be primed for this game as a loss, coupled with a Wexford win over Dublin, could have seen them knocked out of the championship, and despite conceding an early goal to Roisin Howard in the second minute, the home side dominated the opening twenty minutes.

They might not have the likes of Ann Dalton and Miriam Walsh in their ranks this year, but they still have one of the best players in the country in Denis Gaule in their side and she was the dominant influence in the game in that opening period.

Lining up at full forward, Kilkenny pulled Aoife Prendergast and their half forward line right out the field from where Gaule had the space to run onto possession. She gave Tipp full-back Clodagh Quirke a torrid time, scoring 1-3, two from frees which she won herself.

Credit to the Tipp management, they acted quickly and were brave. Weaker management would have left their vice-captain on the field but move her to another position but they would have been punishing another player for the struggles of another, plus they had strength in depth on the bench, in the form of Miriam Campion who was sent into plug the leak on 23 minutes and did so superbly. She did it by playing Gaule from the front, a risky move if the Kilkenny star got in behind but Campion was rarely caught, and in the physical exchanges, she was also more than a match.

From this point in the game when Tipp trailed 2-4 to 1-3, the momentum in the game started to switch with the visitors holding Kilkenny scoreless for the rest of the half, indeed they did so for a 28 minute period either side of half time, to such an extent that Kilkenny had few shots on goal in that period also.

Tipp’s half back line came storming into the game with Karin Blair and Aoife McGrath prominent on the wings while Karen Kennedy showed her undoubted class at centre back. From there, Tipp won more possession and created more chances with Casey Hennessy landing two points from play with Eimear McGrath landing a frees.

Trailing 2-4 to 1-6 at half time, Tipp’s third quarter performance was utterly dominant but going from one point down to three points up was a poor reflection on the scoreboard and was ultimately the reason why they didn’t leave as winners. Six second half wides to Kilkenny’s one, despite Tipp playing into the breeze, shows the visitors level of control.

To Kilkenny’s credit, they hung in the game well in that spell, particularly their defence who kept Cait Devane and Grace O’Brien pretty much under wraps. Tipp’s best chance of pulling clear came two minutes after the restart when substitute Clodagh McIntyre broke through the cover and was one-on-one with the keeper but her shot was too close to Aoife Norris.

Tipp’s workrate and commitment in this period was outstanding with their hooking and blocking notable, never allowing Kilkenny any time and space on the ball. However, the home side were always going to fightback and they did with quickfire points from Gaule, sub Asha McHardy and Katie Nolan to level with ten minutes to go.

Here now was a real test for Tipperary against a Kilkenny side with momentum going down the home stretch and again Tipp had the better chances but only managed a long range free from Eimear McGrath in the 57th minute, cancelled out by Gaule.

Going into the three minutes of added time, it was Tipp putting on the greater pressure to get the winning score but ultimately a draw as a good result to maintain their unbeaten run.

If things work in their favour from here on in, a game against Antrim next Saturday, rather than three weeks off, might be no bad thing. If they are successful, they will have had a run out in Croke Park, if they were to get back to the final. Plus, the All-Ireland semi-finals are being played in Nowlan Park and they are now familiar with that venue.

Tipp’s path for the rest of the championship is now clear, and they certainly appear to have the tools to go the whole way.