Win over Wexford is necessary for Tipperary hurlers after positive start
Big game for Tipp at FBD Semple Stadium
Storm Éowyn hit Galway heavily last week; the Tipperary hurlers brought their own gale-force impact to Pearse Stadium on Sunday. It was enough to blow apart the efforts of Micheál Donoghue’s charges and provide a tonic start to the new league for a Tipperary team and management that has been under intense pressure recently.
It was a swashbuckling performance from Tipperary, one which easily dismantled the inadequate efforts of the home side. Galway floundered on a scarcely playable pitch as Tipperary went to town. A dozen points separated the teams at the end; but for a few giveaway goals and other missed chances it could easily have been a margin of twenty points or more.
But let’s not get greedy. This was a smashing performance from Tipperary, one which sets the side up nicely for Wexford’s visit to the Stadium this Sunday.
There was trepidation in advance. The Tipperary team featured four debutants heading into an away fixture at Salthill, always a tough venue to negotiate. Expectations were modest.
The locals made the brighter start but gradually Tipperary found a footing. The attitude was positive, the team looking fit and eager. On one of his first possessions Dylan Walsh immediately turned and took on his opponent. It epitomised the mindset.
We got an early break on the penalty goal. The referee missed an obvious foul on a defender in the lead-up and even the penalty award itself was one that might or might not have gone your way. Darragh McCarthy’s strike, however, was emphatic.
Anthony Daly suggested that Galway players sulked in the aftermath of that goal. I must admit I didn’t see any such reaction. What I did see was a Tipperary side warming to the job. Dylan Walsh had brought a great save from goalie Murphy earlier and the entire team was now moving with purpose.
We were winning Galway’s long puckouts and working our own short ones with ease, albeit against a very compliant opposition. Ronan Maher was the anchor in defence and the midfield of Craig Morgan and Willie Connors was dominating. Michael Breen had the shackles on Conor Whelan.
Thereafter the attack was moving with menace and the points began to clock up with a wide spread of shooters. Darragh McCarthy missed a few frees in the tricky wind conditions but landed some great ones. Gearoid O’Connor was drifting outfield and impacting. Jake Morris, Andy Ormond and Alan Tynan were also putting in strong shifts.
Seven-up at the break was sweet but not intoxicating; we needed to sustain the effort – and we did. The early phase of the second half was edgy as Galway tried to impose themselves more vigorously, presumably after some harsh reprimands at the interval. A few yellow cards followed, with Alan Tynan very lucky to escape sanction for an unwise flick at an opponent.
Ultimately, the Tipperary goals buried the contest beyond redemption for the locals. Gearoid O’Connor snuck in behind the cover to plant the first one and Dylan Walsh got behind his marker to collect and superbly finish the other. The margin drifted into embarrassing territory for Galway before a pair of late consolations took the bleaker look off matters for the Tribesmen.
That two-goal concession will have annoyed the management. Rhys Shelly will have to take responsibility, fumbling for the first and indecisive on the second, though Ronan Maher wasn’t best positioned for the latter flag either. When you have the foot on the throat of an opponent you ought not to remove it.
Anyway, it’s a small quibble in the bigger picture.
There were positives galore from a Tipperary perspective. Most pleasing of all, perhaps, was the attitude shown by the debutants.
Michael Corcoran played a steady first half at corner back before a hamstring tweak forced his withdrawal at half time. His replacement, Clonoulty’s Robert Doyle, made a major impression, winning several individual tussles and coming strongly to the play; it was a dashing performance.
Sam O’Farrell was another newbie to make a strong first impression. He fits the mould of an attacking wing back and I liked the fact that a few initial wides didn’t deter further attempts; he eventually landed two from play.
Dylan Walsh probably vied for man of the match, such was his impression. For me he was a revelation. He scored 1-3 from play, was fouled for the penalty and brought the save of the day from Galway goalie Eanna Murphy. Andy Ormond too pitched in with a very industrious performance.
Otherwise, it was great to see Gearoid O’Connor recover form after a testing 2024; he scored 1-2 from play. Willie Connors delivered a display of typical tirelessness. Craig Morgan’s midfield impact raises questions about whether that’s a more suitable role for the Kilruane man rather than the tighter confines of corner back.
Others too were part of the overall positivity: Connolly and Maher controlling in defence; McGrath busy in place of the indisposed Bryan O’Mara; Tynan typically combative; Morris an obvious focus in attack and McCarthy showing strong nerve on his debut.
The substitutes too pitched in with individual contributions: Robert Doyle as mentioned earlier; Conor Bowe and Joe Fogarty heavily involved; Seamus Kennedy making a most welcome return; Conor Martin not in the action long enough to grab attention but still getting a taster at this level.
All of that, of course, is set against the backdrop of an abysmal showing by an experimental Galway side. Micheál Donoghue has a job on his hands.
Wexford’s visit to the Stadium this Sunday offers an opportunity for further enhancement of our league position. Keith Rossiter’s side shipped a heavy defeat to Cork last weekend and in the process lost one of their best players, Rory O’Connor, to a red card.
Mind you, the Leinster side was missing a long list of regulars, so expect some returnees for the trip to Tipp; they won’t wish to suffer a second consecutive defeat, which would anchor the side in relegation territory so early in the series.
I must admit that our head-to-head record against Wexford is a surprise to me. Out of 43 previous league meetings we’ve lost 21, won 19 and there were three draws. Our most recent meeting was in 2019 at Wexford Park where the locals edged it by a single point, 1-15 to 1-14.
Those statistics suggest that Wexford like playing Tipperary and have a decent record in such encounters. Our last six meetings going back to 2004 show Tipperary on three wins, Wexford with two and one draw. Again, that’s a pretty even record, so no place for presumption this time.
Of its nature the league tends to throw up some unpredictable results. Players are involved in heavy training at this time of year and panels are often depleted with corresponding experimentation, so you don’t quite know what to expect from game to game.
Last weekend’s results, for example, probably weigh heavily in the betting odds for this weekend where Tipperary are 1/12 on and Wexford are available as 7/1 outsiders. Sounds extreme to me.
This is a big game now for Tipperary with the likes of Limerick, Cork, Kilkenny and Clare to follow. It will be difficult to earn points from any of those fixtures so getting another win on Sunday would seem a necessary requirement – and a reachable target.
The lineout for the Wexford game will be interesting. Liam Cahill’s own suggestion is that there will be less juggling of players and positions than last year, which would suggest minimal change from the Galway win. We’ll see.
In the meantime, Thurles CBS take on St Flannan’s in a tasty Harty final at Mallow on Saturday. Both had strong wins in their semi-finals, so they’re undisputably the best two in the province. Good luck to the CBS.