Dublin will be tough opposition for Tipperary in next round of hurling league

Games at this time of year, and in the present conditions, really are character testers. Whatever about the niceties of the game, the manager will definitely find out if his men have the stomach for battle.
Round three of the hurling this weekend brings the Dubs to town this evening, Saturday for what should be a sturdy test. Tipp top the table on four points but Dublin are on their heels following a very creditable draw with Waterford in Parnell Park and an away win over Antrim.
Our historic record against the metropolitans is impressive, though our last meeting wasn’t a happy one. Back in March 2019 we met in a quarter-final at the Stadium and the Dubs pulled off a one-point verdict, their first league win on Tipp soil since far-off 1946. We won’t wish for another on Saturday and while the bookies have us listed as firm favourites that guarantees nothing.
The counties have played 36 league games over the years with Tipp winning 22, losing 10 and drawing four. However, our last ten meetings are probably a more accurate guide to the modern rivalry with Tipperary winning five, losing four and drawing one. Those figures underline the modern reality that we’ve found Dublin, especially in Parnell Park, a tough proposition.
Mattie Kenny is in his fourth year at the helm in the capital and they’ve made a bright start to this season by winning the Walsh Cup, which included notable victories over Galway and then Wexford in the final.
That form line was carried into the league with that draw against Waterford in quite a tetchy game. Not the most disciplined display, you’d have to say, with two penalties conceded and Cian O’Callaghan sent off. Incidentally Danny Sutcliffe was red-carded in Thurles in 2019. They can be feisty at times.
Tipperary’s league start has given Colm Bonnar’s term an early boost. We’d have expected to beat Laois but getting the nod on Kilkenny in round two was a definite fillip. It wasn’t one to get carried away with, however. Kilkenny were poor and we needed a big game from Cathal Barrett, as well as a crucial input from Ronan Maher off the bench to drag us over the line. Still, a win over Kilkenny - any win - is always a happy day.
The Tipperary team so far has had a mix of regulars and trialists. Interestingly Brian Hogan has regained favour with the new management. He’s had an up-and-down career thus far with the county senior side. He was on the panel for the 2016 All-Ireland win but it was in 2019 that he really shot to fame, winning an All-Star award in his second season as the regular number one. It was a spectacular rise to the top.
Thereafter he hit choppier waters with some criticism of his blocking ability, as well as his puckouts. Eventually Barry Hogan became the preferred one before the new management seem to have reversed that ranking this year. In fairness the Lorrha man has done well in the two league games so far, his save from Richie Leahy in the second half the last day was a big moment. There’s not much between the two goalies, one suspects, so it will be interesting to see how that one develops.
One of the big issues in defence is where to slot in team captain Ronan Maher. Given his influence and his new role as captain one assumes he’ll be in a central position, either 3 or 6. Seamus Kennedy has been solid at centre back and James Quigley has been okay at full, though the jury requires further evidence on that one.
Elsewhere Dillon Quirke has staked a claim at number five and Craig Morgan is learning his trade at four. Barry Heffernan’s defending can be suspect at times but he loves tracking forward and scoring points, which looks like being a feature of the new style being developed at present. Cathal Barrett’s form is a real plus in this sector.
Paudie Maher’s retirement has left a hole in that defence and apart from Ronan returning there are few other proven options available. Robert Byrne, Brian McGrath and Enda Heffernan are on the panel, as well as John Meagher.
Midfield remains a variable area, a sort of link zone between defence and attack, where players tend to drift in and out depending on the fallout of the play. Alan Flynn is a busy player getting in little blocks, flicks and assists but Michael Breen is either driving forward and scoring spectacular points or else being totally anonymous. There’s rarely a median in his game. Paddy Cadell is a strong option for midfield, where I’d like to see him get more game time.
It will be interesting to see when the McGraths return and what influence they’ll have. Does Noel still have the range to operate at midfield and can John bring his club form to the county stage? Tipperary’s attack is heavily reliant at present on Jason Forde and Jake Morris to deliver the scores, so clearly some enhancement is needed there.
Mark Kehoe was promising against Laois but disappointing against Kilkenny, though Fitzgibbon Cup exertions may have played into that. Denis Maher is trying his heart out at full, though few see him as a championship option. Ger Browne needs to do more to claim a place. A return by Bubbles would be welcome.
In all of this talk about who’s likely to make the cut and who won’t, Tipperary folk last weekend were left bemoaning the absence of Bryan O’Mara and Ciaran Connolly from the Tipp panel following their leading roles in UL’s Fitzgibbon Cup win over NUIG. Both players have decided to take time out and travel this summer so Colm Bonnar has to plan without them.
Bryan O’Mara captained the UL side and certainly played a captain’s role, whether shooting long-range points or winning individual battles with Cian Lynch. It was an eye-catching performance in more ways than one because this hurler has developed into a formidable-looking player.

Above: Paddy Cadell is an option for Tipperary's midfield, says Westside

For one who has been watching this guy since his juvenile days his progress has been remarkable. From very early it was clear that he had hurling class above the ordinary. In club games he simply stood apart; there was a grace and elegance to his hurling from the very beginning.
The big question was would he develop and mature up the ranks into an inter-county player. His rite of passage hasn’t been easy. I recall the first time he sampled league action against Limerick at the Stadium and Gearoid Hegarty delivering a jolt as if to say “welcome to senior hurling.” Senior inter-county is a school of hard knocks and you either learn to adapt and cope or else you become just another promising youngster who didn’t make the grade.
Worse, much worse, was to follow for O’Mara last year. Against Limerick (again) in the league he was the victim of a nasty stroke that left him with a broken arm and effectively ended what should have been his debut championship season. The offender (not Hegarty, incidentally) went unpunished.
His bad run of luck continued when he eventually returned to action with his club and suffered another arm injury in training. Such knock-backs would test the will of any player but by the end of last season he had returned to form with Holycross and last Saturday’s evidence in the Fitzgibbon showed just how far he’s come.
The physical conditioning of the guy is up there with the very best in any county and there’s an edge to his game now that perhaps wasn’t evident in his underage years.
Ciaran Connolly too has made a major mark since starring in Loughmore’s heroics last season. He was immediately tipped as a Tipperary prospect and his display in the Fitzgibbon final further underlined his quality.
The fact that both players have decided to take time out this summer is entirely understandable and must be respected. Their age group suffered more from Covid than any other and they deserve a break at this stage. Longer term they’ll likely return to the fold even stronger, something we can all look forward to.
The Fitzgibbon final ended in controversy, with Cian Lynch red- carded before UL put in a storming finish capped by Mikey Kiely’s winner deep in added time. It was the second time the Waterford man worked the oracle following a late, late winner against IT Carlow in the semi-final when his dipping free, Paul Flynn-esque, from 45 metres stunned the locals. It was a super strike but the defending was atrocious.
Lynch’s red card came after referee, Fergal Horgan, consulted his linesman, Sean Cleere. I’ve no doubt it will be overturned on appeal; if not, one injustice will have been added to another.
Finally, a list of transfers emerged during the week with some interesting results. The O’Dwyer brothers have failed in their bid to move from Rosegreen to Boherlahan. It will be interesting to see if that decision is appealed. Elsewhere Dylan O’Grady successfully moved from Kickhams to Cashel KC in a transfer linked to last year’s dispute, which led to four other transfers between the clubs.

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