National League campaign highlights worrying times for Tipperary hurling

If there was any doubt in advance about Tipperary’s present place in the hurling pecking order, then this league encounter at Walsh Park provided emphatic answers. A second half demolition at the hands of the Deise set Tipperary’s prospects in stark profile. The immediate future looks bleak.
When the schedule of league games was announced some months ago this fixture stood out as the most significant of the series for Tipperary. Waterford’s present profile was part of the story but there was also the fact that Tipperary head back to Walsh Park on April 17 for the first round of the Munster championship.
Within our 1B group, Waterford were the ones most likely to offer the best barometer of our whereabouts - and then there was the little detail of Liam Cahill and Mikey Bevans to add further spice to the fixture.
Everything considered, Sunday’s experience was a chastening one for Tipperary. A bright start was promising from the visitors but by half-time the tables had turned and the second half was difficult viewing. Barring sensational results elsewhere, it now means the end of our league journey.
After 19 minutes of this game the score read nine-three to Tipperary. This was the high point of our day. That opening quarter saw the best of Tipperary – and the worst of Waterford. We were sharp; they were sluggish.
The force was with Tipperary at this stage. We were attacking the game, full of energy and enterprise and displaying a great economy when the chances arose.
Michael Breen had one of those days where he’s likely to hit four or five points but, more encouragingly even, Mark Kehoe too was on song; Jake Morris was looking menacing and Conor Bowe was justifying his selection also.
It was all positive for about 19 minutes but then the worm turned. Stephen Bennett fired a point and followed immediately with the game’s only goal after great approach work by Mikey Kiely and Patrick Curran. Suddenly all was changed, our lead and all our early positivity erased.
From the 19th minute to half- time, Waterford outscored Tipperary 1-10 to 0-5. It was a sea change in fortunes. The Deise took a two-point advantage to the interval, which might not seem major, except for two factors: Tipp had played with the wind and the energy seemed to be sucked from our efforts by such a rapid surrender of the early lead.
A Tipp goal before the break might have altered the trend somewhat and Jake Morris twice came close. His shot across the goal flew the wrong side of the post and he was unlucky when losing his footing after he nipped in to take possession away from goalie Shaun O’Brien on another occasion. Our goal drought remains.
Briefly, Tipp rallied on the turnover, Forde and Kehoe levelling, but by now the drift of this game had gone against us. Waterford were growing in strength, winning the collisions, dominating the rucks and gradually their wind-carried scores began to take effect, Stephen Bennett the main man, though others were pitching in too.
A few stats tell the worrying tale. For 20 minutes, between the 15th and the 35th minutes of the second half, Tipperary failed to score. Wides were a small part of the story but the bigger aspect was our fading effort against a Waterford team that was now dominating all over.
The margin at the end was ten points – it could easily have been worse. Our substitutes had no impact on a day when Waterford reaffirmed their latter-day supremacy over Tipperary – remember they beat us in league and championship last year.

Above: Waterford’s Conor Prunty gets a firm challenge in on Tipperary’s John McGrath. Picture: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

At our best in the first half, we had exciting contributions from the likes of Michael Breen, Mark Kehoe, Conor Bowe and Jake Morris but when the general decline kicked in the malaise spread throughout the team.
Ronan Maher was the best of the defence but others had moments too, even if the overall fabric was being stretched at times. Brian McGrath got caught by one run from Stephen Bennett but did good things too – I wouldn’t be as obsessive as some about the pace aspect of his game.
Paddy Cadell was disappointing at midfield and, worryingly, John McGrath had little impact in attack. There is a concern that his club form may, once again, not translate to the county scene. Jason Forde, for all his outstanding contributions in games, at times drifts out of general play and, I suspect, that was behind his substitution this time.
These are worrying times for Tipperary hurling. We’re in the weakest of the league groups but our record is nothing to shout about.
The victory over Kilkenny was the best of it, albeit a very poor Kilkenny on the day. Otherwise, we just about coped with Laois, a team that Waterford and Kilkenny clobbered, we lost to Dublin on home soil for only the second time since 1946 and then fell heavily to the Deise.
It should be remembered that this was a Waterford team without key cogs like Austin Gleeson, Jamie Barron, Dessie Hutchinson and Calum Lyons. By contrast Tipperary have very little firepower awaiting a return, Seamie Callanan’s broken finger an added loss now in the short term at least.
Worryingly at this stage we have little idea of the team that will face Waterford in the championship on April 17. The established players will obviously be there but that leaves a sizeable section of the side unknown. The four league games thus far have thrown up mixed signals, so either way we’ll enter the championship with an untested team element.
Our league fate now depends on Laois beating Dublin in their final match – an unlikely prospect. Even if that were to happen, we’d also need Waterford to beat Kilkenny so that we could sneak into the semis on the head-to-head rule. You’d get long odds on it happening at this stage.
Our remaining league round against Antrim will be of minimal value. The northerners lost their crucial match to Laois at the weekend so they’re facing a relegation dogfight, most likely against Offaly. They have nothing bar pride to play for against Tipperary.
The issue of the hand pass is remaining topical as the league progresses. There’s clearly been an instruction to referees to apply a more stringent enforcement of the rule, so typically you’ll have four or five frees given in any game. Don’t be fooled – it’s mere tokenism, a pretence of doing something.
When will Croke Park finally recognise that the rule in its present guise is simply unenforceable? Even with the present “enforcement” some of the decisions are right but others are wrong. Why? Because in the speed of the game – and remember this is only league, championship will be a few gears higher – it is impossible for a referee to accurately adjudicate on the issue. It simply can’t be done to any satisfactory degree so let’s move on and change the rule.
What’s disappointing about discussions on the issue, such as RTÉ’s Allianz League Sunday last weekend, is that people are shying away from mentioning Conor O’Donovan’s solution. Conor has been the one constant in this debate over the years and in time I’ve no doubt he will be proven right. In the meantime, we have to endure meaningless arguments about whether or not the referee can see the throw and if he doesn’t can he blow for the free on the basis of assumption. It’s a futile debate.
Finally, Munster Council’s hearings committee ruled during the week on the red cards received by John and Noel McGrath in their Munster club semi-final with Ballygunner. John’s card was rescinded while Noel’s was upheld.
As much as the refereeing performance on the day was baffling, those appeal decisions will have amazed people even more.
The widespread impression among hurling folk after the game was that Noel’s card was ridiculously extreme. If players are to be sent off for such a jostle, then you’ll have a lot of red cards in a typical match. The fact that the committee couldn’t see that makes one wonder.
In John’s case the general feeling was that his tap on the defender, who was refusing to release the ball, didn’t merit a red card but could, technically, be regarded as striking. Once more a committee designing a horse has produced a camel.
I think it’s particularly annoying when a referee perpetrates an injustice and then an appeal committee endorses the official’s decision.
It feels like a double injustice, the initial error being compounded by another. The referee at least had the excuse on acting in the moment – and on the advice of a linesman – but the committee has no such extenuation on its side.

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