Hard-earned win over Kilkenny provides Tipperary hurlers with early season boost

The rivalry between Tipperary and Kilkenny may have abated in recent years as both have slipped from prominence but it still has the potential to stir the blood, even in a league fixture in February.
A league win over Kilkenny at any time is not to be scoffed at, as the recent record clearly shows. Prior to Sunday the previous 10 league meetings between the counties showed Tipperary losing 7, winning 2 and drawing 1. That’s the backdrop to Sunday’s one-point verdict, which is exactly the type of early season boost that Colm Bonnar and company would have wished for.
It was hard-earned but just about deserved. Indeed, in a game in which Tipperary never trailed it would have been galling to have been pipped at the post. The story of the match is one of Tipperary leads being reined in, so it was encouraging to see the side hold out for that late Jason Forde winner.
With the Ballyhale contingent and a few others missing, this was arguably one of the weakest sides that Brian Cody has fielded in his long tenure as manager. Tipperary too were shy of full complement, as both sides are in a rebuilding phase. That’s the context to this contest, a contest that was full blooded but of limited quality.
The first half particularly was downright poor. With mistakes galore and sweepers operating at either end the scoreboard returns were modest. The Kilkenny striking was uncharacteristically wayward, hitting ten wides in that half, double that of wind-assisted Tipperary.
Aided by the smooth striking of Jason Forde, Tipperary took the early lead, 0-4 to 0-1 after fifteen minutes. Interestingly Tipperary’s new short-passing game was again on show and it brought mixed results, some moves breaking down but others yielding rewards.
Overall, Tipperary were more economical than Kilkenny in that half, so by the 28th minute the lead had stretched out to 0-10 against 0-4. By then Forde, goalie Hogan, Morris, Heffernan, Browne, Breen and Maher had all got on the score sheet, which was a decent spread of shooters.
However, with characteristic stubbornness, Kilkenny dug in and a mini purple patch saw them reel off a string of four unanswered points approaching half-time. Barry Heffernan, on another foray into attack, stopped the rot with a well-struck score and then Tipperary got a major break with a goal on the stroke of half-time.
This was a Valentine’s gift posted by Eoin Murphy. A short puckout went straight to Denis Maher, who offloaded to Jake Morris and the finish was a left-handed smash that would have adorned any tennis court. Tipp went in six-up, a lead that certainly flattered.
Wait for the Kilkenny response, commented a colleague at half-time and we didn’t have long to wait. By the 13th minute of the second half the visitors had hit Tipp for seven, a Forde free being the only response as the sides were now tied up. All over Kilkenny had upped their game and we were struggling for traction.
The Tipp management responded, with Paddy Cadell on for Michael Breen and Ronan Maher replacing Ger Browne. Cadell made a useful contribution but it was team captain Ronan Maher who really electrified the scene. On his second play after arriving, he broke the ball forward and followed up with a huge point from out the country. It was a score worth much more than its nominal value.
Maher’s arrival signaled a resurgence by Tipperary. Finding new energy, they drove onto the play now, as the game upped several notches in intensity. The tackling became more intense, the hits heavier, as we entered the crucial phase of the match. Tipp drove on to another five-point lead, courtesy mainly to the point-scoring of Forde. But the swings and roundabouts weren’t over yet.
Brian Hogan made a superb save from Richie Leahy but Kilkenny finally found a way through with substitute Tadhg O’Dwyer. When Padraig Walsh followed up with another point the margin was back to the minimum with about seven minutes remaining.
This was the best spell of the game. With tension high, every play was crucial. It was as if Ronan Maher inspired all those around him. Cathal Barrett was now outstanding, barreling out of defence time and again. Dillon Quirke too rose to the challenge. Cadell improved matters also.
On the Kilkenny side Walter Walsh brought a major lift to their effort and he now hit two on the trot to level the match entering the final few minutes. It was tense now as Callanan went for broke but his shot ricocheted off Tommy Walsh and was cleared. A point would, perhaps, have been wiser. Earlier Jake Morris brought an outstanding save from Eoin Murphy. It was incident-packed and dramatic. Who would blink in the tension of it all?
Significantly it was Barrett with the crucial play. Another dash from defence, this time drawing the pull down by Walter Walsh, and Forde held his nerve to slot the free from around 65 metres.
There was a last chance for Kilkenny but the sideline drifted wide. From the puckout Tipp had a similar chance but Forde’s effort was also astray. No matter, the final whistle sounded, Tipp more relieved than elated at a minimal win.

Above: Dan McCormack gathers the ball ahead of Richie Leahy. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

It’s a boost, no doubt, to the team and management alike. The new system being trialed has generated mixed views among the fans, probably more negative than positive. It’s not a natural fit for traditional Tipperary but things move on and we must adjust to the form setters or be left behind. In fairness what’s being tried at the moment is a type of hybrid system, playing the short passing game at times and going long on other occasions. Of Brian Hogan’s 18 first half puckouts, eight went short.
In our present guise there’s little profit in going long if we don’t have the ball winners on the receiving end, so trying to work through the lines more often makes sense. Of course, it requires a high level of athleticism to sustain that style of play with its heavy emphasis on running and physicality. That will present challenges for the players and it remains to be seen whether or not they’ll be able to cope.
It’s not always pretty and at times there will be some real howlers, like Cathal Barrett’s overhit back pass to Brian Hogan that thankfully went outside the post. Yet if we want to match the likes of Limerick, Waterford, Cork and maybe Galway at times then this is the best option.
Actually, I see one major plus in embracing the new approach. Practising this system will surely improve our ability to counteract others who play similarly. Patience is required.
I was surprised that the management went with the same lineout on Sunday last as that which played Laois and, in truth, we wouldn’t have survived but for the substitutions. Ronan Maher was the key addition but Paddy Cadell did well also and most of the others had an input too. Seamie Callanan had two shots on goal and might have ended with 1-1 but instead hit a bad wide and was blocked on the goal effort.
The defence mostly did well. Barrett was outstanding but Dillon Quirke enhanced his prospects with an energetic showing. Contrary to other reports I thought Seamus Kennedy was very solid in his role, getting in one crucial hook at the start of the second half. Craig Morgan mixed good with bad, getting caught for the build-up to the goal. James Quigley was steady, with the jury still out on the number three spot. Barry Heffernan loves to venture forward and showed his usefulness in that role with a pair of well-struck points.
Alan Flynn was the busier of the midfielders, Michael Breen again substituted – new management, same routine. Forde drove the attack in a man of the match display, hitting great scores, though missing a quota too. Jake Morris is probably our main goal threat, not unlike Lar Corbett in that ability to race through and finish. He batted in one and was faultless on the second chance, hitting it low and bouncing to the left of Eoin Murphy where he was denied only by the sheer brilliance of the goalie.
Mark Kehoe never really got to the tempo of the game this time and was replaced. Dan McCormack too gave way after a quiet game and Ger Browne was busy enough in the first half but less so after the break. Half the forward line was substituted and that’s the zone, one suspects, that will need most reinforcing. The return of the McGraths and Bubbles would help in that regard.
The general perception on Denis Maher is that he won’t have the nimble footwork necessary for later in the season. That may well prove to be so but I like his attitude at the moment, grafting for everything and offering himself as a target man on the edge of the square. He won a deal of possession, especially in the first half, scoring a point in the process. Credit where it’s due.
Finally, I have to acknowledge and admire Donal Óg Cusack’s contribution to the discussion on Limerick’s game with Galway and the dismissal of Gearoid Hegarty early in the second half. He was spot on. What an admirable contrast to the guff we get regularly from other analysts on TV. The only thing he omitted was to acknowledge Fergal Horgan’s decisive action on that incident.

The View: Tipperary players choose well as Maher takes the leaders mantle

Ronan Maher's influence on the Kilkenny game was Padraic Maher-like