PREVIEW: What Tipperary need to be wary of going into a massive Limerick contest

A sign of a good team is the ability to punish mistakes and make the most of the opportunities given or created.
That was certainly the case in the recent league final, where Cork dominated just ten minutes of the game - scoring three goals in that time, to take the game away from Tipperary.

Analysis of those goals would have had Liam Cahill tearing his hair out with at least two of them avoidable, where Tipperary were initially over the ball in the defensive half but coughed up the ball to allow Cork in behind and pilfer three-pointers.

So, the basics are what tend to separate the good teams from the great teams and after a positive league campaign, Cork reminded us all that this latest iteration of Liam Cahill’s Tipperary still have a bit to go to be considered challengers.

Ahead of the visit of a rested and recuperated Limerick, I took a look at the areas where Tipperary need to sharpen up on and what they can improve on.

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PUCKOUTS/RESTARTS

This area is probably less spoken about than other facets that constitute the make-up of a game, but it couldn’t have been more apparent in the loss to Cork a fortnight ago.
Barry Hogan - overall - had an exemplary league between the sticks, with his range of puckouts proving to be a real launching pad for the Tipperary team.

One of Tipp’s biggest weakness in recent years has been winning primary possession, especially from our own puckout, and when Cork smothered the Tipp puckouts to midfield and the half back line a fortnight ago, you could see the panic in the players.

Liam Cahill highlighted a lack of “bravery” in Tipperary’s restarts and they will no doubt have been impressing on the players to continue to show the confidence they did in the league round robin.

Another factor was the poor showings of Alan Tynan and Gearoid O’Connor in the ‘contestibles’ with the pair getting no influence. They will have to be far more prominent here as the Limerick half-back line is their launching pad in attack.

DEFENSIVE STRUCTURE

The experience of last year’s horror show in Limerick will be still knocking around supporters heads.

In terms of defensive structure, we have seen that time and time again, Tipp’s setup from opposition restarts is not fit for purpose; it happened in the aforementioned first game of Munster in 2024 and it happened again in Cork two weekend ago.

The concession of the short puckout to teams like Limerick has been a hallmark of the current management in trying to curtail their running game and cut down the space through the middle, but it has seldom reaped rewards and the evidence of Cork running amok in the middle third from short puckouts in Pairc Uí Chaoimh was frustrating to say the least.

This method has not worked and a more pressured approach to the Limerick short puckout option needs to be taken. Onus needs to be put on forcing likely starter Shane Dowling into going long and seeing if the screw can be turned on the inexperienced goalkeeper and break even in the air, and on the ground.

Whatever the case, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different result.... well, you know what I’m getting at!

DIARMAID BYRNES

Byrnes tends to always be at his very best in facing Tipperary and his influence will need to be curtailed from the off. Rewind to the round 3 league clash in Limerick back in February, and you will see how not to approach the game.

Byrnes was so often allowed to roam and pick up free shots from range during the game, and the ball was sent down onto the Patrickswell man from Tipperary deliveries all to often.

Barry Hogan will need to avoid him and when in general play - whoever it may be - Tipp need to have either Tynan or O’Connor wary of his positioning on the field and at the very least, turn him onto his left hand side when pressuring him. A lot easier said than done!

FEED THE FORWARDS

The inside forwards were starved of good ball against Cork. Jason Forde and Darragh McCarthy have the ability to hurt Limerick but they need the service to do so.

Half that battle is breaking even in the battlefield of the middle third, but when the chances arrive, Tipperary will have to take them to stand a chance here.

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