THE TOWN END COLUMN: League loss to Limerick may prove to be a welcome reality check

It’s only been some three weeks since Tipperary’s last competitive game but it seems like it has been a lifetime as the wait for Munster championship action finally comes into full focus this weekend.

That Limerick defeat was sobering to everyone in Tipperary and probably has dampened the mood music somewhat ahead of Liam Cahill’s first championship game at the helm, and it is probably a reality check which will have benefitted the management and players in recent weeks in the build up to the trip to Ennis on Sunday.

Recent history between teams certainly makes for interesting reading with some unexpected margins of victory and performances being doled out on a few occasions.

Since the advent of the round robin format of the championship, the sides have met four times and have two wins between them, with the last two round robin clashes throwing home advantage firmly out the window, when Tipp battered Clare by 14 points in Cusack Park in 2019, before the Banner exacted revenge in last year’s clash in FBD Semple Stadium, beating Colm Bonner’s team by eight points.

So, how big of an advantage is playing in your home county in these games?

Since the round robin format has come in there have been three full seasons of matches in Munster. Out of the 30 home games played including all five counties, only 14 home wins have been recorded, with an average home win percentage of 46 percent.

That is a surprising number considering how important many people view the importance of home advantage but from a Tipperary perspective it makes for dour reading, with just two wins out of six at home in that time.

However, the visit to Ennis is daunting in that respect as the Banner have the second best home record in the competition after Limerick with four wins from six attempts, albeit with Tipperary inflicting one of those defeats.

That win in Ennis was pre-covid though and a lot has changed for Tipperary in the meantime, with new management and a very new looking playing personnel taking to the field during the league and you have to go off the most recent meeting of the teams from last year which makes for pretty grim reading in terms of form lines, and while that can’t be ignored when sizing up this game, it also can’t be ignored the way in which Tipp’s play has improved since that game.

A clear game plan has evolved with Cahill and Bevans in situ and with players buying in and putting in a shift everytime they take the field, at the very minimum, it should make Tipperary competitive and consistent in this campaign, even allowing for the injuries sustained throughout the league.

There were a lot of positives to take from the manner of the performances from the league, even in the Limerick game, with the first half a really good template for Cahill and the players to work toward, but the second half display left a lot to be desired as Limerick gave this panel of Tipp players a timely reminder of the standard required this year.

It’s no bad thing. And I’m sure Cahill and his management team will have used it as a stick to beat the players with in the build up to the Clare game.

In contrast, Clare have had a far more subdued year so far, winning league games against Westmeath and Wexford in easy games along with losses to Galway and Limerick and a home draw with Cork.

Their form certainly won’t strike fear into any onlooking Tipperary supporters but we know just how difficult it is to gauge league form when it comes to predicting championship performance.

Perhaps the biggest blow to Clare is the suspension for David Fitzgerald who received a one match ban after receiving a red card in the final league game with Cork, with the Inagh Kilnamona man easily their best performer this year.

Clare have a more settled team with everyone available and they have shown that they can mix it with the best after pushing Limerick so close last year, but there are question marks over fitness and form to key players to contend with.

Tony Kelly’s form has been a minor worry Shannonside, having been very subdued in the league games he played over the last few months, while talismanic forward Shane O’Donnell still hasn’t featured this year but is training ahead of the game.

Injuries have curtailed fresh, young legs from being given a chance to stake a proper claim to start in the team, with Mark Rodgers nursing a lower back injury in recent weeks, while Shane Meehan still continues to recover from a long term injury, so there are still a lot of unknowns in terms of how the Clare team will shape up this Sunday.

However, it is clichéd but Clare in Ennis is always going to be a tough task and you can be sure that Brian Lohan isn’t too perturbed by the league form and will have placed far more importance on this game from the outset of the year.

In contrast, Tipperary needed a solid league campaign to galvanise support, look at new players, and re-build confidence after a turgid 2022 and they will be happy with the way they are going into the game.

The return of Cathal Barrett in the recent charity match with Wexford can’t be underestimated in its importance, with very few of the team expected to start having experienced Ennis in a championship game.

So what sort of team can we expect to start for Tipperary with that in mind?

We can safely assume that Barry Hogan has won the battle for the number one jersey, aided by the injury Rhys Shelly sustained in the league, while Barrett, Michael Breen and Johnny Ryan will likely make up the full back line.

Bryan O’Mara and Ronan Maher are certainties to start in the half back line, but it will be interesting to see who takes the other place here. Seamus Kennedy has excelled at half forward in the league, but he may be touted to keep tabs on Tony Kelly after doing a good job on the Ballyea ace in last year’s game and that might be in the mind of Cahill looking at matchups.

Midfield looks likely to be Conor Stakelum and Alan Tynan, despite the former’s lack of form since returning from injury, while in the half forward line Gearoid O’Connor, captain Noel McGrath look likely to line up, and may be joined by Dan McCormack for experience and energy alone.

With the exception of Jason Forde, the full forward line is more up in the air with Conor Bowe, Sean Ryan, Mark Kehoe, John McGrath, Bonner Maher, and Jake Morris all in the shake up to start.

He seems to have given Jake Morris the vote of confidence this year and with his goal scoring a real threat he will start in one corner for sure.

Two away games to start is incredibly tough for Tipp to start, but whatever the team, we know the importance of this game and if Tipp can nick a win here, it would be a huge fillip for this team.