Forward struggles the key reason for Tipp's defeat

Cork v Tipperary analysis

An occasion that felt as close to championship fervour as you can get in the league, but a game that very much felt like the league.

Such was the build-up with a record crowd for a National Hurling League game, a fifth meeting of the age old rivals inside twelve months, and the first since Cork’s chasing at the hands of Tipp in the All-Ireland final, it was expected that it would be more than just a league game. However, that’s more or less how it played out, nice hurling but with too much loose play and in those circumstances, Cork are in their element.

This game felt very much like the round-robin league meeting in Thurles almost twelve months ago when it was Tipp in the greater need of the win and they got it. It was the reverse on Saturday with Cork wanting to regain the upper hand at the first time of asking after the All-Ireland final second half collapse, and they did that with a deserved win.

While not happy at losing, the Tipperary management won’t lose too much sleep over this defeat. While both teams started with ten of the respective teams that started in the All-Ireland Final, Cork were much closer to full strength, particularly in the forward division who outscored their Tipperary counterparts 0-18 to 0-5 from play through the course of game.

With such a damning statistic, that Tipperary were still within three points going into added time, chasing an equalising goal, shows just how competitive this Tipp team are, even if things aren’t flowing. Sometimes you have just stay in games and they got help by turning nine of the fourteen frees Cork conceded into points, four from Eoghan Connolly who ended up Tipp’s top scorer despite only coming onto the field in the 44th minute.

Crediting the quality of the Cork defence where Eoin Downey was particularly outstanding at right wing back, Tipp’s forwards certainly didn’t hit their peak, despite a bright start where Jake Morris, Andrew Ormond and Oisin O’Donoghue got early joy. Indeed, with centre back Robert Downey very much sitting deep, Andrew Ormond benefitted in the pockets of space, and while he didn’t sustain it, that is certainly an area the Tipp management will have noted as a positive potential of weakness to target when they meet in the Munster Championship on April 19th.

Cork certainly look further down the road in terms of their sharpness in their use of the ball which was sharp and slick whereas Tipp can be much better, particularly where passes from deep on numerous occasions were to forwards closely marked, although they help themselves by doing better job of creating separation which the inside line of Jason Forde, O’Donoghue and Darragh Stakelum struggled to. Indeed, it once again proved that Stakelum as an inside forward isn’t suited to him and was whipped off at half time.

Ormond and Morris had their moments while Josh Keller wasn’t as prominent as in the first two games but will have benefitted hugely from the experience of playing in such a high tempo game.

One area Tipp certainly had the upper hand was at midfield where Willie Connors was tremendous throughout, supported by Conor Stakelum as the pair dominated their Cork counterparts, who did have help from their retreating half forwards where Darragh Fitzgibbon, Shane Barrett and Diarmuid Healy were busy as bees. Much like the encounters on Leeside last year, if you don’t bring the required intensity, Cork have the pace to kill you and eleven points from play was their return, but again, an area that Tipp can improve massively come two months’ time in terms of negating the space.

In a game that matters, there would be no way the Tipp management would allow a miss-match from the start in terms of Seamus Kennedy picking up Darragh Fitzgibbon. Come the championship, that won’t happen but the veteran defender was ever willing in a half back line where Craig Morgan and a tired looking Sam O’Farrell also had their moments.

The backs as a whole, despite constant pressure, stuck to their task manfully throughout with Bryan O’Mara snuffing out Declan Dalton. Cathal O’Reilly had another tremendous performance, even with William Buckley also impressing for Cork. The diminutive defender also got on the scoresheet and is now emerging as a serious championship starter and serious competition for Robert Doyle and Michael Breen when they come back from injury.

Elsewhere, Johnny Ryan had a tough ask with Alan Connolly but was harshly black carded for the foul on Shane Barrett for Cork’s penalty, saved by Rhys Shelly from Dalton. Yes, Ryan did foul Barrett inside the square and it was a penalty, but it wasn’t a deliberate pull down which is what the black card is for. Defenders still have to be allowed the opportunity to make a play on the ball, as if it isn’t the case, they just can’t make a tackle at all.

There was no difference between that incident and the one in the second half where Willie Connors was fouled bearing down on goal by Robert Downey, which saw him yellow carded.

There is a notable difference between making an honest play for the ball and missing leading to a foul and deliberately pulling a player down as Offaly’s Ben Miller did against Tipp the week before. It’s a simple black & white rule that has somehow become grey.

It might seem strange to leave the main incident from the game until last, the melee just before half time that saw all thirty players involved and led to red cards for Jason Forde and Shane Barrett.

Both were mightily unlucky to the fall guys from a melee what was mostly pushing and shoving but what made the red cards inevitable was how long it went on for, almost three minutes with three separate breakouts, before it took another ninety seconds for the officials to deliberate on things, with referee Liam Gordon bringing a halt to the half despite 65 seconds left to play before the incident began. It might not have been within the rules, but in the situation, calling a halt to the half there any then was the right thing to do, rather than allow another potential incident to break out. Neither side were prepared to take a backward step and the other 28 players should feel culpable for the red cards their team-mates took.

The proposed alteration to the disciplinary rules to come from Gaelic football would see “contributing to a melee” result in black cards rather than reds, which are much too penal for two players who were essentially taking the fall for everyone else, with both now facing suspensions, Barrett now doubly as it was his second straight red card inside 48 weeks.

The whole incident started with Alan Connolly pulling Willie Connors back from making an off the ball run, something Cork have form for much of last year with blocking off the ball by their forwards.

Again, more food for thought come April when the sides renew rivalry for a game that will really matter.