A huge clash against Limerick awaits, with Tipperary hurlers seeking to maintain momentum

A sobering statistic ahead of Sunday’s clash at the Stadium is the fact that under John Kiely’s baton Limerick have beaten Tipperary in five of the last six championship clashes between the counties. The solitary Premier win was a 2019 round robin game at Semple Stadium. It was a dead rubber, with the sides destined to meet again a fortnight later in the Munster final, where the result went heavily Limerick’s way at the Gaelic Grounds.

From a Tipperary perspective it’s a stark backdrop to Sunday’s encounter. We’ve been under the Limerick cosh since 2018, with an average winning margin of almost eight points from those five victories by the Shannonsiders. No wonder the betting odds for Sunday lean heavily in Limerick’s direction. Kiely’s clan are on offer at a forbidding 1/3 whereas you’ll get 11/4 on Tipperary.

On all fronts it’s a huge clash. Defeat for Tipperary wouldn’t be terminal but after gaining three points from the previous two games we’d like to see that bright form sustained. Besides, bucking the recent trend against the neighbours would be satisfying too.

From Limerick’s perspective this is major. Their defeat to Clare has suddenly re-set expectations. Coupled with their stuttering win over Waterford in the opening fixture, people are starting to wonder if the gloss has faded on the green giants. Of course, that could be a dangerous reflection if they come with a backlash on Sunday.

The permutations here are fascinating. By throw-in time on Sunday, we’ll know the outcome at Ennis. If Cork manage to turn over Brian Lohan’s outfit, then a Tipperary win at the Stadium would put Limerick out of the championship. They could still finish on four points but would lose out on the head-to-head with Clare. The stakes are sky-high then.

There appears to be general agreement on our display against Cork in the previous round: much to admire but problems in defence. Trying to sort those problems in the intervening fortnight will surely have been a top priority.

There’s no simple cure here; it’s a collective rather than individual issue, though there are a number of contributory factors. Let’s not forget that two of our back men, Bryan O’Mara and Johnny Ryan, are in their first championship season. They’ve both done well but they are new, still learning the ropes at this level.

A third defender, Michael Breen, is being played out of position, forced to take on a role that he’s not well suited to. The history of trying to convert forwards into backs, or vice-versa, has far more failures than successes. There are notable exceptions, such as Brian Corcoran and Barry Nash, but in general the temperament and instincts required for forward play differs from a defensive mentality. Few can make the adjustment.

I suspect Liam Cahill and his cabinet will have pored over the four Cork goals in great detail to see where each might have been averted. They’ll have identified many missteps in the build-up to each, though I’m not sure there was a common denominator in all of them.

As a collective unit the defence malfunctioned. If one player is beaten there has to be cover from others, markers have to be touch-tight, defenders goalside of opponents and runners tracked. Sometimes a foul is preferable to allowing a move to develop. Outfield players need to track back also to lend support. Nobody should be isolated one-on-one without cover.

Communication and understanding between the players are essential. I guess it’s an overall system that has to be worked on.

Replacement options at the defensive end are limited, which is why I suspect we’ll probably see the same six nominated for Sunday. Enda Heffernan, Conor McCarthy and Pauric Campion were the reserve options available in Cork. Brian McGrath and Eoghan Connolly can be added to that list.

I guess one reinforcement that could be considered is drafting Seamus Kennedy back into the defence, though his huge impact in a mostly midfield role the last day will work against that choice. Anyway, shoring up that defence has to be a priority. You won’t prevent every goal but the number of chances Tipperary are coughing up is a major problem.

The goalkeeping position, I suspect, won’t avoid scrutiny either. Barry Hogan’s positioning on one of the late Cork goals has been called into question and people were wondering about some of the puckouts as well. There were times in the second half when Seamus Kennedy was isolated over on the right sideline waving for the puckout, which kept being dropped into a congested number twelve zone.

You could reasonably argue that the goalie hadn’t much chance on the goals with his frontline breached. It would have taken some excellent saves - but isn’t that what we expect of our goalies?

Anyway, Rhys Shelly is the alternative option if change is desired. Unfortunately, the Moycarkey man got injured with bad timing during the league, which prevented his further exposure, so for the moment I suspect Barry Hogan will hold on.

The midfield zone was a major success story against Cork thanks to the vigour of Alan Tynan, the vision of Noel McGrath and the vitality of Seamus Kennedy.

Jason Forde’s loss to the attack is huge. His free-taking alone is invaluable but his score-taking from open play can be a major asset too. There could be a few changes in attack, with Sean Ryan struggling the last day. I think the Templederry man will have learned from the experience, where the focus has to be on getting primary possession into the fist and taking on the man rather than attempting those clever flicks.

On the replacement side there’s the option of starting Seamie Callanan, though perhaps the management would prefer to hold him for second half impact. Niall O’Meara is said to be close to a return to action too. Mark Kehoe is an obvious choice after his huge impact the last day, though he has tended to do best when coming on as a replacement. John McGrath will also be in the reckoning.

It will be interesting to see who takes on the free-taking duties. Gearoid O’Connor has been Forde’s understudy in previous games, though Noel McGrath would be a safe option also.

Limerick too have had injury problems, with Sean Finn out and others like Declan Hannon and Cian Lynch battling niggles. They’ve had three weeks to reassemble all the parts following defeat to Clare and I suspect they’ll be in robust health for this crunch clash.

Finally, Waterford’s season is over after another tame display against Clare saw them bow out on a whimper. The sending off of Calum Lyons was a pivotal moment but hardly offers a full explanation. Injuries have to be factored in also, especially Tadhg de Burca and others such as Mikey Kiely, but once more you’re left head-scratching to fully explain the extent of the Deise demise.

The bounce and brio that one normally associates with Waterford hurling was sadly lacking; it was an utterly drab second half of hurling on Saturday last. It’s happened in different years now with different managers, and with their underage teams misfiring wholesale, you have to wonder what’s amiss at the heart of Waterford hurling.

Of course, there could be one final fling left in the team when they come to Thurles on Sunday week, with nothing bar pride at stake. It’s wise to be wary.