Strong reaction is needed from Tipperary hurlers for trip to Waterford

Following their heavy defeat by Limerick a fortnight ago, Liam Cahill will be expecting a strong response from his Tipperary team when they travel to Azzurri Walsh Park to take on Waterford at 3.15 this Sunday in the Allianz Hurling League.

The Tipp boss conceded that the county’s prospects of reaching the league final had probably disappeared after the setback against Limerick, their second of the campaign following an earlier defeat by Cork.

However, they’ll also be anxious not to get sucked into the same relegation battle in which Waterford are embroiled, with just one game remaining after this weekend, against Kilkenny at FBD Semple Stadium on Saturday night, March 21.

The bigger picture, of course, extends beyond the league, with All-Ireland champions Tipperary seeking to retain the MacCarthy Cup for the first time since 1965. Since then, seven attempts to do so have proved unsuccessful.

Tipp had arguably more to prove during last year’s league when, as an emerging team, they reached the final, where they were beaten by Cork.

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This time, the focus appears to be solely on the championship. Tipp are rated as third favourites (5/1) to climb the steps of the Hogan Stand at the end of July. The joint favourites for the All-Ireland title at 21/10 are Limerick and Cork, the teams that have beaten them in the league this season.

While the 15-point drubbing by Limerick hasn’t exactly set the alarm bells ringing throughout the Premier County, it was concerning. Tipp suffered a major systems failure from the throw-in and at half-time the outcome was as good as decided, with Limerick ahead by 0-20 to 0-7.

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Any faint hope that they might have harboured of mounting a comeback vanished within a minute of the restart when Willie Connors was sent off, a decision that rules the Kiladangan player out of Sunday’s game.

On the positive side, Tipp showed more spirit and urgency in the second half, despite the numerical disadvantage.
Overall, however, it was a night to forget. An attendance of more than 15,000 had flocked to the Thurles venue on a miserably wet night in the expectation of witnessing a close contest, but they saw nothing of the sort.

And while people may suggest that “it’s only the league,” it’s worth bearing in mind that Tipperary will begin their championship campaign in Thurles against Cork - who will be hell bent on gaining revenge for last year’s All-Ireland defeat - in their opening game in the Munster round robin on April 19, which is a mere six weeks away.

After the Limerick match, Liam Cahill acknowledged that Sunday’s trip to Waterford “is a huge game for us.

“Getting to the league final is now probably beyond us, but we have been in this position before, so we have to roll up our sleeves and go at it again”.

The match will be shown live on TG4.