High standards must be maintained if Tipperary hurlers are to triumph

Tipperary will be attempting to win their fifth Munster Senior Hurling Championship this decade, their first in three years and their 43rd in total, when they face All-Ireland champions Limerick in Sunday’s final at the LIT Gaelic Grounds, which starts at 2pm.

All four of their victories since 2011 have been at the expense of Waterford, whom they also beat in 2012, 2015 and 2016. 

This is the first time they’ve met Limerick in the provincial final since 2001, a game played at Pairc Ui Chaoimh when a team captained by current coach Tommy Dunne won by two points, 2-16 to 1-17.

Tipp have blazed an impressive trail through the group stages of the provincial championship, winning all four matches.

However they’ll go into the final without Patrick Bonner Maher, who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in their final round-robin game against Limerick a fortnight ago. Another key player, Cathal Barrett, is also a major doubt, having strained his hamstring in that same match in Thurles two weeks ago, and there’s a concern that the absence of both could weaken the team.

In the event of him missing the final, Barrett will be hoping to return for either an All-Ireland semi-final on July 28 or the quarter-final on July 13/14, depending on the outcome of this Sunday’s match.

However Bonner Maher is ruled out of what remains of the season. His absence will be sorely felt and comes at arguably the worst possible time for the player and the team.

An All-Ireland winner in 2010 and 2016, the 29 year-old Lorrha/Dorrha player had rediscovered his best form this season. Bonner had been at the front and centre of a Tipperary attack that scored the sizeable tally of 8-101 in its four group games, which included 8-77 from play.

His honest endeavour and insatiable appetite for work have been key in allowing the artistry of John Bubbles O’Dwyer, Seamus Callanan, John McGrath and company to flourish. But neither should his own ability on the ball be overlooked, his splendidly-executed goal against Clare being a case in point.  

Above - Bonner Maher in action against Limerick a fortnight ago, before he ruptured his cruciate ligament Picture: Bridget Delaney

Describing him as “a unique” player, manager Liam Sheedy says “what he has brought to the team over the last number of weeks has been exceptional. He was in full flow and Bonner in full flow is a very difficult man to mark”. 

However the manager said his absence would present an opportunity for someone else in the panel.

“You are not looking to replace a Bonner with a Bonner because you can’t do that. But you are looking to know if the next guy can step in and play to their level and I am absolutely happy that we will find that player, because of the work they have all put in over the last seven months”, says Sheedy.

When the counties last met in a Munster Final 18 years ago, another Tipperary player missed out because of a cruciate ligament injury.

In 2001 John Leahy was in the twilight of a stellar inter-county career but still an important member of the panel, providing valuable experience in a team that included tyros such as Lar Corbett and Eoin Kelly.

In the semi-final against Clare, Leahy was introduced in place of Mark O’Leary five minutes into the second half of a tight and tense affair, which Tipp eventually shaded by a point. 

However he lasted only three minutes. His involvement ended with him lying crumpled on the turf, clutching his right knee, the cruciate ligament injury sustained when he landed awkwardly after contesting a high ball with Brian Lohan.

The injury not only ruled the Mullinahone player out of the final against Limerick but also consigned him to a lengthy spell on the sidelines, including that year’s All-Ireland Final win over Galway.

Sunday’s showpiece may be deprived of one of its dominant personalities but for Tipperary the show goes on. 

They’re the only team in either Munster or Leinster with a 100 per cent record, and they and Wexford are the only unbeaten teams in either province. In previous years Tipperary’s winning streak would have taken them a considerable distance further along the championship road than a place in the provincial final and All-Ireland quarter-final, where they now find themselves.

Above - John McGrath (right) in action against Limerick's Paddy O'Loughlin two weeks ago, says the competition for places on the Tipperary hurling team is "savage" Picture: Bridget Delaney

Their run of four straight victories has been in stark contrast to last year, when they failed to win any of their games in Munster. Tipperary have been a team transformed this year, with a very different mindset and an equally improved workrate. The improvement can also be attributed to the high standards set for the panel.

Speaking after the win over Waterford, Bonner Maher said “our tackle count was 102. That’s probably one of our pillars, we’re aiming to achieve over 100 tackles (per game)”.

Coach Darragh Egan said earlier this month that scoring 30 points is the aim for Tipperary in every game, while John McGrath has described the competition for places as “savage”. 

Meanwhile, Liam Sheedy says the disappointment of last year is a motivating factor this season. “2018 was unfortunate. Tipp could have found themselves in the top three,  they were a puck of a ball away in a game they looked to have full control of in Thurles (against Clare).

“Sometimes maybe you’d be looking in at a wonderful summer of hurling and thinking maybe it hasn’t done the group any harm in terms of their hunger and appetite, having watched all that went on in the 2018 championship”. 

For more Tipperary sport read The Tipperary U-20 hurling panel for the Munster semi-final against Waterford has been named