Twelve months on from Tipperary’s disastrous outing against Clare in a sobering afternoon at FBD Semple Stadium, the sense of deja vú for the Premier hurlers is blindingly obvious ahead of an incredibly pivotal opener against the Banner in Cusack Park, Ennis in the opening round of the 2023 Munster Hurling Championship.
That defeat was the beginning of the end of Colm Bonner’s brief stint in charge of the Premier and it was considered a game - before a ball was pucked in championship - that Tipperary had to win to have any chance of getting out of Munster; this time around the feeling is exactly the same with a tough away trip set to be a really big acid test for Liam Cahill in his first championship outing as Tipperary boss.
The bear pit which is Munster is a difficult environment to try and rebuild a panel and revitalise players who have been there and done that over the past decade or more, but that is the challenge which faces Liam Cahill.
In fairness, he has managed to ignite some good performances in the National League from his team; albeit it was extinguished somewhat by Limerick’s second half domination in the league semi-final.
Despite this, the overall impression you get from the players this year is one of real positivity, that the tide is beginning to change in a favourable direction for Tipp after topping Division 1B of the league with a 100 percent record, scoring 14 goals and averaging just over 34 points per game, which is in stark contrast to the 2022 campaign which seen only three wins recorded after losses to Dublin and Waterford.
The Liam Cahill and Mikey Bevans stamp has been put on the players and the way they operate, and everyone to a man knows the work rate that is required by the Ballingarry man and that has transferred into performances on the pitch.
However, a really abrupt reminder was doled out by Limerick in the semi-final clash; John Kiely and his Limerick team giving all a timely reminder that it will take time and patience perhaps, to reach the level of the three in a row winning All-Ireland champions.
All the same, there is still progress being made but it will all be put on the line come championship time as recent regression in the round robin format Munster Championship makes for decidedly grim reading for Tipperary followers.
Since its introduction in 2018, Tipperary have played 12 matches in the round robin Munster Championship - with this year’s edition only the fourth incarnation of the format - and have a record of four wins, six losses and two draws.
Covid interjected in the middle of those years (2020, 2021) as the championship reverted to knockout, but it is very concerning for all associated with Tipperary hurling that the gap has widened so far between the 2019 and 2022 season.
In 2019, Tipperary won all of their group games in the round robin, and did so in emphatic fashion by beating Cork by seven points, Waterford by 18, Clare by 13, and Limerick by four which gave them a scoring differential of plus 42 before going on to win the All-Ireland title during Liam Sheedy’s second reign.
Fast forward through the next few years, where very little player development and promotion from successful underage teams took place, and the evidence is stark that the wheels have fallen off the senior team’s competitiveness, with Colm Bonner’s side losing all four games by a combined total 31 points last year; which included record losses to Clare and Cork in Semple Stadium.
Likewise, Liam Cahill’s record as a manager with Waterford in this format gives concern with his only win in last year’s competition coming against Tipperary in the first round, and what this all points to is what a big job Tipperary have to get back competing ahead of this year’s championship.
It isn’t all doom and gloom though, as there have been plenty of green shoots for Tipperary around the severe decay of the senior team’s fortunes, with a number of players from successful underage team’s finally getting their chance to impress and excel in this year’s league.
Players from the U21 and U20 All-Ireland winning teams pre-covid have made an indelible impact so far with Gearoid O’Connor and Bryan O’Mara bringing impressive form from their back to back Fitzgibbon Cup titles with UL to the fold, while the likes of Johnny Ryan, Eoghan Connolly, Rhys Shelly, Alan Tynan, Jake Morris and Sean Ryan have all been impressive in various spells.
Injuries have been a massive part of the Tipperary narrative this year to date with the likes of Paddy Cadell, Ger Browne, Seamus Callanan, and Cathal Barrett all picking up injuries (the former two out for the season), while brighter lights from 2022 in the form of Barry Heffernan and Craig Morgan continue to recover from serious knee injuries suffered in last year’s Tipperary club championship.
The presence of a definite way of playing has been peppered throughout the performances from Cahill’s side, something which was criticised in every quarter last year with Colm Bonner’s team, while there is a versatility to the players which has been a hallmark of Tipperary’s line ups for their league games.
Coming from rock bottom was always going to be an advantage for Cahill in his first year, with a project and long term vision no doubt being put in place, with supporters and county board alike in full support, but Tipperary is a county which doesn’t allow for a lack of competitiveness and the expectation will be high that wins are secured in this incredibly competitive championship.
Every team in Munster has reason to feel confident heading into April, with Limerick looking to continue their dominance ahead of a league final against Kilkenny, while Cork have looked rejuvenated to a similar level to Tipp with Pat Ryan investing time in a huge number of players as they topped Division 1A of the league before their loss to Kilkenny in the league semi-final.
Waterford are under new management in the form of a second coming of Davy Fitzgerald and have a team which has reached the business end of All-Ireland’s in the last three years, while they will be hoping to return to form after a less than convincing league campaign.
Clare are perhaps the one team that are seen as the main challengers to Limerick given their efforts against the Treaty in last year’s championship and with Brian Lohan in his fourth year, coupled with a very settled looking team from one to 15, they will be a very tough nut to crack for Tipperary in the opening round in Ennis.
Tipperary’s last game in Ennis in championship was in 2019 when Liam Sheedy’s men rocked into Cusack Park and had it at their ease in an impressive 3-21 to 0-18 victory, so a big proportion of this panel will know how to win there and that should give some confidence in a venue that has been very tough for Tipp teams to come away with wins traditionally over the years.
From the outside looking in, it looks like a championship where any of the five teams could finish in the top three by the end of the round robin games, and despite the disappointing end to the league it has always been about championship for Liam Cahill and his management team.
A lot is uncertain, but one thing that is a minimum requirement from Tipperary this year is that they will need to be a far harder prospect for opposition, and they cannot be allowed to be walked all over again like they were in 2022.
Liam Cahill knows these players inside and out from his time involved with the underage teams; and if hearsay about the morale around the setup is to be taken at face value, they will leave everything out on the pitch in these four games and that will hopefully deliver positive results.
Munster Championship Fixtures
Sunday, April 23rd @ 4pm
Round 1: Clare vs Tipperary in Cusack Park, Ennis
Weekend of April 29/30
Round 2: Tipperary bye week
Saturday, May 5th @ 7pm
Round 3: Cork vs Tipperary in Pairc Uí Chaoimh
Sunday, May 21st @ 4pm
Round 4: Tipperary vs Limerick in FBD Semple Stadiu
Sunday, May 28th @ 4pm
Tipperary vs Waterford in FBD Semple Stadium
