PREVIEW: Tipperary must go to the well yet again against rested and motivated Waterford outfit

Leaving the recently re-christened Cusack Park in Ennis last Saturday evening, you couldn’t help but feel a mixture of emotions.

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There was a sense of relief and happiness that Tipperary had ended a two-year wait for a championship victory, something that had been a gigantic monkey on the back of the players, management, and even supporters going about their business in GAA circles!

However, there is no doubt that the enjoyment of the game must be taken with the proviso that it must be backed up by victory in Tipperary’s final match against a rejuvenated Waterford side in Thurles this Sunday.

Memories of the appalling performance in this fixture at the end of 2023 will still be fresh for this group of players, the majority of whom were involved in that game. In Liam Cahill’s first year, a win against an already eliminated Waterford side would have put Tipperary into a Munster final.

As if we need reminding, the performance was the beginning of an unravelling that ultimately led to the team limping out of the All-Ireland series against Galway less than a week later, ending a largely positive year on a very sour note and it has to be something that leeched into the efforts the following in a dismal 2024 campaign.

You could argue that the loss to Waterford set the team's development back twelve months, and as can happen so often in sport, the wheel has now turned and it allows everyone involved in the Tipperary camp to make amends.

So, motivation, as if it isn’t always in abundance in a competitive environment, will not be lacking for Tipperary, but they will need to equal, if not bring more than, the level of performance they brought to Ennis back into Tom Semple’s field against a hungry Waterford side.

Peter Queally has come in and given a big bounce to the Déise camp this term, and with a win over Clare and a tough battle in the loss to Limerick, they have been performing well so far in the championship and will not be fazed in the slightest by travelling to take on Tipperary in Thurles.

Indeed, Waterford have had the upper hand in this fixture in the last five or so years. Actually, you have to go back to 2019 since the last time Tipp have defeated Waterford in the championship, with Tipperary on a winless run of four games against them with just one draw to show for the clashes; and you could argue that the late smash and grab draw last year came against the run of play.

This is a huge game for Tipperary in order to back up the result in Ennis, but there is a strong argument that it is even bigger for Waterford in the context of their age profile and their poor record in the round robin.

The bulk of this Waterford team are ploughing on for the last decade with the All-Ireland winning team of 2016 still populating the team largely through the likes of the Bennetts, Tadhg De Burca, Austin Gleeson, Dessie Hutchinson, Conor Prunty, and Darragh Lyons, to name a few.

They have some quality in the lower age bracket with Mark Fitzgerald their driving force in the defense, but this team is running out of road to make their impression in terms of winning titles after coming so close in years gone by under Derek McGrath and Liam Cahill.

What they do have, though, that Clare probably lacked - and what has been an Achilles heel for Tipperary - is pace to match that of the likes of Cork. That is something Liam Cahill will be wary of going into this game, as they ran Clare ragged in Walsh Park last month with Jamie Barron running the show at centre forward.

The presence of Tadhg De Burca dropping deep into the centre of the defence will be bringing out Tipp supporters in sweats, considering the effectiveness of now goalkeeper Billy Nolan playing as a sweeper to such effect in 2023; and De Burca is the archetypal figure for this role and will be far more astute again here.

Tipperary will have to box clever as they are unlikely to get the space for John McGrath and co that was afforded to them in Ennis the last day out. Patience will be required as Waterford will drag this into a middle-third dogfight. They will not go man-on-man like Clare so a different approach will be required.

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It was a very warm day in Ennis last Saturday, and the exertions will still be felt after the eight-day turnaround, so it will be interesting to see who takes to the field for Tipperary here. Alan Tynan and Conor Stakelum ran themselves ragged in the game before coming off in the second half, while Sam O’Farrell put in a similar effort and will also have to contend with the U20 final on Wednesday.

Those three brought a lot of energy to Tipperary's middle third, and it will be needed again against the Déise. 

The return of Darragh McCarthy will surely see the Toomevara man in the starting team and back on the frees, with Noel McGrath perhaps being spared. At the same time, Joe Caesar’s appearance amongst the subs was a welcome sight on Ennis, and he might be back in line to feature from the off.

Conor Bowe and Gearoid O’Connor were left out of the 26, but Cahill may be tempted to bring them back on board for this Sunday, as energy will be needed late in the game, and there will be an element of freshness there after their exclusion.

Tipperary have gathered momentum all year long, even after brief rebuffs from Cork in the last month. The Ennis win could be a turning point for this group, but it will only be seen as that with a win this Sunday, and Liam Cahill and his players need to keep their foot on the accelerator to confirm that Tipperary are indeed a force once again.