Green shoots evident in performances of Tipperary Minor and Under 20 hurling teams

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Underage success never guarantees a senior harvest; however, underage dysfunction can definitely presage a future crop failure in the higher grade.

With that in mind, we’re forever watchful of events in the teenage grades, where future outcomes can be signposted.

Accordingly, Tipperary followers will have been encouraged by recent performances at Minor and Under 20 levels. Even a cursory glance at Tipperary’s hurling history will easily identify the value, or cost, of underage trends. Our great famine of the seventies and eighties, for example, had its roots in a minor drought that stretched from 1959 to 1976.

The exit from that famine was fuelled by underage achievements in the late seventies and early eighties. In the seven seasons from 1976 to 1982 the county won three minor and three Under 21 titles, which ultimately led to the senior resurgence in the later eighties.

Similarly, the winning Minor crop of 2006/07 powered a decade of senior prominence, one that reaped three All-Irelands. However, more recent trends offer a timely reminder that the linkage between underage and senior isn’t always that linear.

Anyway, our minor and Under 20 sides have both made promising starts to their Munster campaigns. The minor win over Cork was, I thought, quite a bold statement by team and management. The first 25 minutes or so of that game was a really bolshy effort by the lads, who really went at a physically stronger Cork side and showed great attitude.

A slack five minutes, however, before the break really undid much of what went before. The Rebels got a run on them and rattled off 1-3 without response to cut an eight-point lead to a mere two at the interval. It was deflating and the Cork push continued on resuming to eventually bring the sides level.

However, what followed was hugely encouraging. I worried for them at this juncture but they steadied the ship remarkably well. It can be a flaky age group, where lads are typically 16 or 17 and often insecure in themselves. Yet, somehow, they found the composure to outplay Cork from there to the end.

Stefan Tobin hit a few big scores and even when he had to retire injured his replacement, Aaron Cagney, pitched in with three excellent points. They outscored Cork eight-four in the final twenty minutes of quite a testing game.

Their second round, away to Waterford last week, wasn’t quite as assured. Perhaps their first half prompted an element of complacency because they certainly struggled when the Deise came storming back at them on the turnover.

They led by a dozen at half time, thanks mainly to clinically finished goals by Adam Ryan, Cillian Minogue and Billy O’Brien. We were in runaway territory at this stage but, as against Cork, these lads discovered that things are never that simple.

Waterford were transformed in the second half as they threw off the shackles and came at Tipperary in waves. We looked particularly vulnerable facing runners from outfield, as our defence was opened up for two goals and the lead began to shrink alarmingly.

The advantage dropped from twelve points down to three and Waterford were on the brink of a stunning comeback.

In the growing crisis there were definitely positives in the way Tipperary played out the final moments. Stefan Tobin stepped up once again with two big scores and substitutes, Darragh O’Hora and Jack Cahill, pitched in with further scores to see out the game on a five-point margin.

With Waterford hitting 16 wides, this one felt more like a let-off for Tipperary. It certainly wasn’t as convincing as the Cork match but these lads are young and learning lessons, one of which is that leads, even very large ones, need protecting. They now have a break before hosting Clare on May 2 and then heading to the Gaelic Grounds the following week.

With two wins from two outings, Tipperary are certainly in pole position on the table, but there’s a lot of hurling still to come in this competition. The two top teams in the group will play a Munster final, while teams three and four qualify for All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals. Only one side will exit after the Munster round robin series of matches.

The Under 20 hurling championship system is different to the minor. There’s a round robin series in Munster, from which the top team qualifies for the provincial final and teams two and three play a semi-final. The winners go straight through to the All-Ireland. Cork are the defending champions and the team fancied to win out again this year after taking the minor in 2021.

Tipperary launched their season with an away win to Limerick at Rathkeale last week.

The Tipp win was comfortable, albeit against a poor Limerick side that had already lost by eight points to Clare. Tipp led by seven at half time and eventually won by seven in a game where the only blemish was a red card for Paddy McCormack late in the match.

Tipperary’s best hurling was in the first half. They began poorly but eventually got moving, with Darragh McCarthy outstanding on the frees and the likes of Conor Martin and Cathal English chipping in with useful scores. A Limerick penalty briefly halted their gallop before Oisin O’Donoghue slipped in behind the home defence for a cancelling goal. Then there was a cancelling penalty, expertly dispatched by Darragh McCarthy, and it all added up to an interval advantage of 2-12 to 1-8.

The quality of play was mediocre, with a lack of intensity at times, and Limerick particularly making little enough impact. The lead held firm for the second half, though inexplicably Tipperary appeared to retreat into their shell. Almost football-style, the Tipperary players backed off Limerick’s puckouts and seemed content to just defend in numbers.

We hit just one score in the final quarter, a superbly finished goal by Senan Butler. It was an important score because it held the lead at a comfortable distance for the final moments when Limerick huffed and puffed but couldn’t find the wherewithal to breach an impressive Tipperary rearguard. Tipp got away with it tactically but I couldn’t see this method working against better opposition.

Paddy McCormack’s red card was unfortunate but there could be no complaint from Tipperary after what was a rash tackle.

Elsewhere, I can’t wait for that Limerick/Clare clash on Sunday at Cusack Park, which kickstarts the Munster championship. It’s a dream pairing between the league champions and the wannabe five-timers.

They’ve been the best two in Munster for a few years now and played out some epic games in recent seasons. Are there signs of Limerick slippage or have Clare finally arrived? Answers on Sunday.

This Munster campaign really is a mouth-watering prospect. It’s the one unanswerable argument against abolishing the provincial system. We’ll watch with interest as Liam Cahill readies his troops for the following week’s trip to the Gaelic Grounds.

Finally, warm congratulations to the camogie team on a thrilling league final win. It looked ominous early on but I liked the attitude of these girls, as they battled their way back into contention.

When much of the detail of the game is forgotten, Karen Kennedy’s display will still be recalled; she looked unmarkable.

They had a slice of luck at the end when Galway might have salvaged a draw but sometimes your efforts deserve a favourable break. A combination of team tenacity and the individual brilliance of the team captain did the trick. It should put them in good fettle for the championship ahead.