Bad habits punished admits Ronayne
By Thomas Conway
Little could console Tipperary manager Shane Ronayne in the aftermath of last Saturday’s defeat to Kerry.
While much of the fallout was focused on the controversy surrounding Orla O’Dwyer, Ronayne was still dismayed by Tipp’s performance, citing their unhelpful habit of falling behind before ever really starting to play.
“We were making these comebacks last year and even in Division 2 we made a couple of come-backs but when you’re playing the top teams, you can’t give them leads like that, and it put us under too much pressure in the second-half,” he said
Having looked somewhat shell-shocked as Kerry raced into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead, Ronayne asaid undid their challenge. In that period they conceded 2-5, the barrage of scores coming just after Róisín Howard had put Tipp ahead with a 21st minute goal.
“I suppose we’re just disappointed with that spell before half-time. We didn’t react very well to it, they scored a goal and then the heavens opened up, and we just conceded another 1-5. That’s very disappointing and it’s something we’re going have to look at and analyse,” he said.
There was a sense of realism about Ronayne after the game. The Mitchelstown native, who was handed the management baton in late 2016, hinted that expectations might be pitched a little high after that incredible season last year.
“I suppose it’s a bit of learning curve, but hopefully, we can just get something out of the next couple of games. At this stage, we are in a bit of danger of going down again, so it’s real cut-throat now,” he said.
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