Tipperary go chasing their dreams this Saturday in Tullamore

The road to Croker is clearer now for Tipperary. Two epic provincial finals held the attention of hurling followers worldwide last Sunday afternoon and afterwards the road to glory became that bit more signposted for Tipperary.

Beat what is in front of you, no doubt, will be the mindset for those involved in the action and of course the players will focus on the task at hand, but for supporters the route is now clear if Tipperary beat Offaly as expected next weekend.

Galway looked likely winners of the Leinster final and were two points up with moments to play but Kilkenny, as per usual, hurled until they dropped and in the helter skelter chaotic ending Cillian Buckely found the ball in his hand and unmarked he fired into the corner to punish Galway errors.

The result means Tipperary or Offaly will play Galway in the All-Ireland quarter final with Limerick the likely venue for that tie. The other side of the draw sees Limerick firmly into the All-Ireland semi final after a record equalling five Munster titles. Only Cork had previously attained that feat and of course it was Tipperary who famously stopped their drive for six back in 1987.

Dublin and Carlow play this weekend and the winners will play Clare in the All-Ireland quarter final on the weekend of June 24th. It has been an eventful championship so far with bumper crowds in Munster.

The drama and excitement was hightlighted last Sunday with the Limerick venue buzzing with colour and drama while the Leinster final was played in a half empty stadium in the capital. Taking that final out of Croke Park may generate excitement and drama in a provincial venue.

It is something the Leinster council will consider to spice up the intrigue and numbers attending games in the province. The Munster hurling championship delivered once more but an issue that stands out again this summer is the controversial refereeing calls late in games.

We all love the drama of a close match and the role of the referee is always amplified when a game is tight and the margin for error comes into focus. After the provincial activity finished up on Sunday the decisions of referees came into focus once more.

The referee in the Munster final had a difficult task in the cauldron like atmosphere and must have been somewhat shaken when supporters started streaming onto the field even though the game wasn't finished.

So much so in fact that he missed a late foul that looked a certain Clare free, which would have sent the game to extra time.
If it was a once off it wouldn't be as big a deal but the fact is that there have been a number of contentious calls made in close games in recent weeks and all the games have ended in controversy.

Cork minor footballers on Saturday were attacking against Dublin in the All-Ireland semi final when another rugby style challenge was waved on. This resulted in Dublin pushing on and securing a famous victory to make the All-Ireland final.

Cork supporters were irate too when their senior footballers conceded a game deciding penalty against Kerry two weeks ago that was questioned by many in the aftermath. The calls across the championship are manifold in tight games and it highlights what Fergal Horgan said in the Tipperary Star in recent times, that referees aren't given big games on a regular enough basis across the league and championship, which means that they get important calls wrong when it matters most.

It is up to the GAA to focus on ensuring referees are supported and helped a lot in preparing for big games. Vague rules too in the GAA don't help and it is fair to say that how games are refereed today confuses players and spectators.

Referees themselves even differ in how they referee games. No doubt it will play out again unless some change is implemented. Elsewhere in sport the Tipperary senior football manager stepped down after an up and down tenure in charge.

David Power made a big impact on football in the county over two decades. The highlight for many was that day back in November 2020 when Tipperary wore the famed white and green jersey of 1920, the club colours of Grangemockler Ballyneale, and beat Cork in the Munster senior football final.

A rare day of huge significance as it was the centenary weekend of Bloody Sunday 1920. That day the Tipperary cornerback, Michael Hogan, was killed whilst playing for his county. One hundred years on Tipperary wore a jersey with his image on the sleeve.

I was in Pairc Ui Chaoimh that day in 2020 and it was a truly rare occasion, the kind of day where hope and history rhyme as Seamus Heaney might say. Thanks to David Power and his crew for giving supporters a day like that. Afterwards players went different directions.

Tipperary never maintained the drive of that time and today are back in division 4 with a new manager taking the lead for next year. Some left the panel like Mikey Quinlivan and Evan Comerford. Colin O'Riordan went back to a career in Australian Rules football while Liam Casey too moved abroad.

Times changed and the Tipperary team became one in transition. David Power will take a break now after a tough year where his mother passed away. He has given nearly two decades to Tipperary football, set up development squads and won titles at minor and senior level.

Truly he has played his part in the journey. We wish him well. The search for a new manager will begin shortly and everything starts afresh. While the Tipperary footballers campaign is over for this year, the hurlers' All-Ireland series campaign is just beginning.

The game next Saturday afternoon will be shown on the GAAGO platform online. While supporters wouldn't have minded one game on this platform, Tipperary matches seeem to be box office online, as this is the third Tipperary game to be shown behind a paywall.

The new look championship has thrown up many new talking points. As it stands the key statistic is that there are just eight teams left in the championship with a chance for success this year. Tipperary are there in the mix and will go into the game on Saturday full of confidence.

Supporters will travel in good numbers and hope the season ignites with a win against Offaly, just like it did in 2010. We all know how that year ended. Let's get behind this team again. Next stop Tullamore.