Manner of Limerick win could be the making of Tipp

Date Published: 30-May-2012

TIPPERARY hurlers were tottering on the brink of a shock Munster championship exit to fired-up Limerick midway through the second-half at Thurles last Sunday. The team rated the single biggest threat to Kilkenny this summer were in deep trouble trailing by seven points and one could sense that the knives were already being sharpened for manager Declan Ryan.

Limerick, full of vigour and intensity, had already made their statement in the opening-half and though only leading by a point at the interval having had the assistance of the wind, it was clear the Division Two League finalists were up for the contest. All over the field, they were harrying and blocking, while front men Graeme Mulcahy and Shane Dowling were picking off some invaluable scores.

In contrast, Tipperary were labouring with errant free-taking not helping their cause. They struggled to cope with Limerick’s intensity and badly needed Pa Burke’s well executed 18th minute goal after an intelligent lay-off by Brian O’Meara, who got through some effective work in the opening-half when many of his team-mates were off the pace. Midfield, in particular, was a problem area for Tipperary with the out of sorts Brendan Maher and James Woodlock, who was replaced before half-time, finding it difficult to give the Munster champions a platform in the sector.

Similar to their league semi-final exit to Cork, several key players appeared to be waiting for things to happen, but with O’Meara, Burke and Noel McGrath hitting the target every so often, they were still only a point behind at the break despite Limerick doing most of the hurling. It must have been a worrying situation for John Allen and his mentors, but their players were undaunted and really exploded out of the blocks at the start of the second-half.

Frankly, Tipperary didn’t know what hit them as the men in green thundered into everything. In arguably the best period of hurling we have seen from a Limerick team in years, they scored six unanswered points with Kevin Downes, David Breen, Mulcahy, Dowling, Conor Allis and Seanie Tobin all registering white flags. Pa Burke eventually stopped the rot with a pointed free, but when Dowling fired over again in the 54th minute, the challengers led by 1-16 to 1-9.

To be honest, Tipperary looked a busted flush. They were losing most of the 50/50 battles for possession and couldn’t establish any serious momentum or rhythm. It amounted to a full-blown crisis and represented a major test of Tipp’s character and bottle. Their sideline was now under savage pressure to stop the haemorrhaging and it was to the credit of Declan Ryan’s led management that a raft of changes helped to turn a thrilling contest on its head in the final quarter when the home team outscored the Shannonsiders by 1-11 to 0-3.

Reserves Shane Bourke, Conor O’Brien, Shane McGrath and Seamus Callanan all got onto the scoresheet, while another substitute, Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher was heavily involved in the lead up to O’ Meara’s priceless 64th minute goal. In the sweltering conditions and with their all-action earlier efforts taking a toll, Limerick were out on their feet in the final ten minutes. They had no more to give and also lacked the indepth strength of the Tipperary squad.

It was a tough outcome for Limerick having done so much right for so long, but they are obviously on the right road. Corner back Tom Condon typified their admirable commitment on the day and they have the makings of a decent team. A fully fit Declan Hannon will aid their cause in the qualifiers as will the likely return of injured defender Seamus Hickey, but they need more from full forward Kevin Downes.

Tipperary were a real mixed bag but this game could be the makings of them. They had to fight for their lives in the closing 15 minutes and weren’t found wanting. Callanan and Maher, who both had been long term injury victims, will be back in contention for the semi-final against Cork, while Lar Corbett will also be pressing for inclusion after coming out of his self-imposed exile. Sadly, however, the end of the road is dawning for Eoin Kelly, who has lost that dash of pace and made no impact last Sunday.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.