Tipperary can expect a backlash from Cork in Munster Senior Hurling Championship

The strains of “Tipp! Tipp! Tipp!” echoed across Semple Stadium as the home team turned in a defiant performance to share the loot with much-fancied Limerick. Cool dude, Darragh McCarthy, saved the day at the end with a nerveless execution on the crucial final free.

It was a deserved equaliser at the end of a hectic engagement which saw Tipperary man-up bravely to the green giants. Abandoning the standoffishness of the league final, the home side barrelled into every contact, winning the turnover stats, and in a sense out-Limericking Limerick.

Of course, we should have known it was coming. Didn’t Seamus O’Doherty offer the evidence: five draws from the previous 12 clashes at the Stadium, which suggested history’s take on the pairing. I’m aware of a few who took a punt on a double draw in Munster and came away €286 richer for their €2 investment.

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Tipperary were probably the happiest county of the four in action on Sunday, given pre-match expectations. Essentially, we were no-hopers going into this contest. The league final was hugely deflationary and with four championship debutants on board it seemed downright brazen to expect to turn over Limerick.

But sport sometimes doesn’t play to an obvious logic. The human element is the variable part, prone to fluctuations in mood and method. Tipp got both right on Sunday and in the process re-energised an entire county.

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From early it was obvious that the home side was psyched up for the job. At throw-in, minor flare-ups erupted all over the pitch as players got close and personal. Nothing nasty, mind you, just a laying down of intent, all of which was handled sensibly by the referee. A jumpy official might have started waving cards, with major consequences later on.

Darragh McCarthy hit the opening point and early indicators suggested Tipperary were in the mood to take on the favourites at every turn. We were strong in the tackle, hunting in numbers and showing real intent when on the ball. An animated manager on the sideline epitomised the mood.

There was an early warning sign when Gearoid Hegarty was set free in the left corner but Barry Hogan dashed off his line to bravely smother the chance. The goalie was slightly less decisive ten minutes later when Adam English got in to flick home under the ‘keeper’s body. Barry needed to come thundering out on that one too, which might or might not have prevented the score.

Incidentally, Aaron Gillane has been credited with putting Adam English through for that goal. I’m not so sure. On review I think he may have been shooting for a point but was half-blocked and the ball fell kindly for English. These are the breaks that happen in games.

Encouragingly, Tipperary responded well to the setback. Bryan O’Mara was hurling up a storm from wing back, Darragh McCarthy was showing real menace in attack and Eoghan Connolly came up with four massive points from long-distance frees.
Individuals aside, there was a collective oomph to Tipperary’s play. They were showing a healthy disregard for a restructured Limerick, who had Kyle Hayes at centre forward and Will O’Donoghue at centre back.

Tipperary finished the first half powerfully with a Craig Morgan point setting up an interval advantage of three. Jake Morris had chipped in with three flags in that half and the interval sense was of a Tipperary side that had half the job successfully completed.

But, with Limerick there’s always the sense that they can turn on the turbo drive and smash your hopes in a flash. Those fears seemed well founded when they restarted in a blaze, going from three-down to two-up in a two-minute burst, which delivered 1-2.

The goal was the main item. Shane O’Brien caught and turned Michael Breen in one movement. Once goal-side there was little chance of stopping the finish. How Michael Breen ended up shadowing O’Brien for that play is a reflection of the modern movement of forwards, who regularly interchange in a bid to gain any advantage.

At that moment it was worrying for Tipperary and, I suspect, the Limerick team of a few years ago would have drilled home advantage while we were on the back foot. This time, however, there was a defiant response from Tipperary, with Craig Morgan setting up John McGrath for a smashing goal finish.

The mini-crisis was over, Tipperary were back in the lead and the game was settling into a riveting contest. A Darragh McCarthy block-down on David Reidy underlined Tipperary’s resistance. It stayed score-for-score until the home side orchestrated the move of the match.

It was initiated by Noel McGrath back in his own half and finished by his brother John. Completing the linkage were players like Bryan O’Mara, Jake Morris and Alan Tynan. This was the definition of an ensemble score, one that required coordination and precision as well as a clinical finish.

There were still eight minutes to play as the drama continued down to a climactic finish. Limerick got level through attacking defender, Diarmaid Byrnes, and a Gillane free had them one-up a minute into added time.

Ultimately, it was another penalised handpass that gave Darragh McCarthy the levelling opportunity and his nerve held firm. A division of the spoils was fair.

There was an element too of karma in the final free of the game. Limerick have patented the modern handpassing game and in this match they were penalised three times for throwing the ball. Poetic justice, you might say, but get used to this issue because it isn’t going away. John Kiely suggested there were throws also in the lead-up to Tipperary’s second goal. The conclusion to be drawn: while the present flawed rule remains, controversy will continue.

This was a game that Tipperary approached with a sense of trepidation but emerged from it relieved. The pedestrian nature of our league final form was banished. In its place came a more feisty, traditional Tipperary defiance, one that would have pleased many an old timer such as the late DJ Treacy, who always claimed that win or lose it was how you played the game that mattered.

Immediately afterwards, Liam Cahill was keen to dampen expectations. He’s correct. This is a project in the development stage and will take time. Along the way expect some major roadblocks.

Unfortunately, there’s little time to linger on Sunday’s showing as Cork loom large this week ahead of our re-match Leeside on Sunday. They’ll have been chastened a little, perhaps, by their surrender of a large lead to Clare. Their response will be interesting.

It’s difficult to anticipate much change in the Tipperary lineout. Joe Caesar may be under pressure at half back, as will Sam O’Farrell in attack. Seamus Kennedy and Noel McGrath were influential on being introduced last Sunday but there may be a sense that we need some quality coming off the bench at a pivotal moment in the second half. It’s a case of managing resources in the best way possible. We’ll see.

Elsewhere last week there was mixed luck for our underage teams. The minors bowed out of contention with a third defeat, this time to Limerick. It’s been a disappointing series for James Woodlock’s team. All three games seemed winnable, with slight adjustments in fortune. They had two two-point defeats and a single-point loss last week, which renders their final game versus Cork irrelevant.

The Under 20 story is much more promising. After their shock first round defeat to Limerick they’ve rebounded impressively with away wins against Cork, Clare and Waterford, which put them in pole position on top of the group and through to the final.