Tipperary senior hurling is in a bad place, with no rapid recovery in sight

We knew in advance that 2022 was going to be a challenging year for Tipperary hurling – now we know the true extent of that challenge.
Another dismal day on the hurling field sees Cork crush any slim hopes that may have existed in advance. The nature and extent of the defeat will have left the county reeling. The championship is gone and there might yet be an awkward sting in the tail if Kerry do the business in the McDonagh Cup final.
I said in advance that Tipperary needed to run riot against Cork in order to overturn score differentials and somehow make the All-Ireland series. Well, there was a riot indeed, but it was a riot of red as The Rebels took over the Stadium and did as they pleased against very limp resistance.
Not since far off 1942 has Tipperary suffered a heavier defeat to Cork. The bright start was no more than a puff of smoke, one that vanished in the wind once Cork got a toehold on proceedings. The rest was painful viewing.
A friend tweeted on Sunday night: “The ‘80s are truly back, East/West tensions, inflation sky- high and Tipp hurlers awful.” Hard to disagree with that after an utterly incoherent performance, lacking shape or pattern and, by the end, totally demoralised.
Ironically the dream start should have set us up for the afternoon. With the Cork defence unsettled, Kehoe sent Morris away and the finish was a trademark one-handed tennis smash. At 1-3 to nil it was dream stuff and might have got even better when Downey fouled Kehoe for the penalty after ten minutes.
However, there were echoes of the Clare game a few years back when Noel McGrath’s shot zinged back off the post and in an instant play was at the Killinan End, where Alan Connolly wriggled free from defensive clutches to beat Hogan.
Unlike that Clare game, however, this was early in the match with plenty of time for a response. Sadly, though, the Tipp challenge faded miserably thereafter. Hard to understand how a goal after eleven minutes could have such a deflationary effect.
As Cork settled to their task, Conor Lehane had the freedom of Semple Stadium as he rolled off a series of smartly-worked points. Then Darragh Fitzgibbon’s goal was to be the sucker punch for the home side. Similar to John Conlon earlier in the series, the Cork man was granted free passage from midfield before pulling the trigger from just inside the twenty-metre line. Barry Hogan probably should have done better, though a defender, Ronan Maher I think, crossed his view line.
We were eight down at half- time and it could easily have been worse. One timely interception by Ronan Maher prevented a goal chance after 24 minutes and it was Maher again who pulled down Pat Horgan to deny another opening on goal.
The Tipp defender got a yellow card for that offence but surely it should have been a black card and penalty. Horgan was inside the 20 metre line and with no defender back it was a clear goal chance if he escaped Maher’s clutches. It’s noticeable that the cynical foul rule is being ignored by referees this year – and pretty much ignored by the pundits as well.
The interval mood was downcast among the Tipp contingent. Apart from the opening minutes, this had been a hard watch. Gone was the work rate and intensity that we’d seen against Limerick. Instead, and for whatever reason, it was a hands-off approach from Tipperary. There’s one certainty about Cork hurling: if you stand off, they’ll dazzle you with their pace and skill. The one surefire way to ruffle The Rebels is to get in their faces and make it a battle.
The opening minutes of the second half were eventful at both ends. First, Lehane was sent through but his shot was deflected outside the left post for a 65. A let-off for Tipperary. Then, at the Killinan End, Jason Forde attacked from the left corner, was fouled, and while on advantage a Noel McGrath flick was saved brilliantly before Forde dispatched the follow-up to the net.
Sadly, a hasty whistle by the referee called back the original foul, which McGrath pointed. When your luck is out it’s really out.
Thereafter this game fizzled out without a murmur of resistance from Tipperary. It looked pathetic on the day – it looks even worse on video replay. If players trained at this jog-around, leisurely pace the trainer would call them into a huddle and deliver the hairdryer treatment. It was Sunday afternoon puckabout stuff.
There were times when it was downright embarrassing, as Cork got to display all their flicks and tricks without a hand being laid on them. Noel McGrath kept the Tipp board ticking over with mostly pointed frees but Cork were scoring at will. Lehane eased off but now Harnedy got in on the act, as well as Coleman and substitute Jack O’Connor.
The third goal was the final sprinkle of salt in the wound. Fitzgibbon’s fancy flick back between his legs and the first-time finish by Tim O’Mahony was not what you’d normally see in a Munster championship contest. But by now this had lost all element of contest so Cork players were just enjoying themselves and indulging in the fanciful.
It was a sorry end to Tipperary’s Munster campaign. I suspect we flattered ourselves when seeing some green shoots in earlier matches. Waterford’s subsequent demise puts our performance in the first round at Walsh Park into context. The Limerick game too, albeit our best display of the series, was against an opponent taking matters for granted and playing way off their normal intensity. The Clare game was perhaps a truer gauge of our whereabouts because all the inadequacies there were amplified again on Sunday.

Above: Tipperary’s Ronan Maher in a tussle with Cork’s Patrick Horgan during the Munster championship game at FBD Semple Stadium. Picture: George Tewkesbury/Sportsfile

Some players acquitted themselves better than others. Craig Morgan has had a promising season which hopefully will be built on. Dillon Quirke is another one of the newcomers who can, overall, be pleased with his input. I liked the contribution too of Conor Stakelum, who shows good attitude and work ethic.
Elsewhere, Ronan Maher cleared more than most on Sunday and Noel McGrath gave leadership once again on those frees. Jason Forde, on his return, made a very decent contribution with five points from play. Mark Kehoe had Robert Downey in trouble early on and remains a player with lots of potential. Jake Morris put himself about and couldn’t be faulted for effort.
Those were some of the modest highlights but overall the team effort was disjointed and, at times, indeed spiritless.
Tipperary senior hurling is in a bad place at the moment and I don’t foresee any rapid recovery. There’s likely to be more retirements this year and the supply line is pretty bare. Injuries have added to the woes as well as other withdrawals. Issues with discipline haven’t helped either and one’s overall impression is that we face a very fraught future. It will take very careful stewardship to navigate these troubled times and I’m not convinced the present set-up has the wherewithal to see it through.
There now follows a very awkward few weeks as we await the outcome of the Kerry/Antrim McDonagh Cup final. It’s difficult to find logic in the present rule. Winning McDonagh should be sufficient for The Kingdom to gain promotion without putting them through another hoop. It’s also very problematic for a side like Tipperary, now in depressed mood and having to wait maybe five weeks for a relegation shoot-off with such high stakes at play.
Elsewhere the extent of Waterford’s demise is puzzling. At least we knew in Tipperary that troubled times were ahead but the Deise thought they were on a roll to greatness. I’m sure Liam Cahill must be as puzzled as anyone as to why this slump has afflicted the team.
It was comical listening to Derek McGrath talking about “unrealistic optimism” when he was one of the people who fed that same optimism after the league final. It seems to be a Waterford failing, where they’re easily carried away and then can’t cope with expectations.
For Liam Cahill there must be a lot of soul-searching ahead before he decides whether to stay or call time on his term at the helm. At their best Waterford are exciting to watch but then there seems to be an inbuilt brittleness that’s regularly their undoing.
Finally, the present championship structures have certainly set up two mouth-watering provincial finals, featuring the four best teams in the country on present form. Limerick/Clare and Galway/Kilkenny are both intriguing prospects, which will keep the hurling world agog in the weeks ahead. Then again provincial winners don’t always finish the job out, so these are finals without finality.

Cappawhite win their second west Tipperary junior B hurling league title

Cappa' have 12 points to spare over Kickhams in final