Tipperary are outsiders facing league champions Waterford in Munster championship opener

When was the last time Waterford were such hot favourites going into a Munster senior hurling championship game against Tipperary?
Come to think of it, were they ever so strongly fancied to defeat their neighbours in the championship?
The fact that Waterford, fresh from dismantling Cork’s challenge in the national league final, look such a serious proposition to go all the way this year, and have a really decent stab at lifting what would only be their third All-Ireland senior hurling title, makes Tipperary’s task in Sunday’s opening game of the Munster championship at Walsh Park (2pm) all the more daunting.
Right now, the counties seem to be operating on different levels. While Tipperary huffed and puffed their way through the league, failing to reach the knockout stages, Waterford went about their business in the latter stages with ruthless efficiency, easing their way past Wexford and Cork in the semi-final and final, and scoring nine goals in the process.
The highpoint of Tipp’s league campaign was a one-point win over Kilkenny. They led from the early moments and showed sufficient resolve and determination to withstand a late fightback from an albeit understrength Kilkenny to secure their first league win over The Cats in seven years. It was a day when their standout players included Jake Morris, who scored 1-2 from play; Jason Forde, who struck 10 points, five from frees; and captain Ronan Maher, whose introduction in the second half provided a major tonic as the team kicked for home.
They also hit Antrim for seven goals in the last game, although that match was a virtual dead rubber, and the poverty of Antrim’s performance must be factored into the equation.
Most instructive of all, perhaps, was the meeting of Tipperary and Waterford at Walsh Park at the beginning of March, a game that was closely contested in the opening half but developed into something not too unlike a cakewalk for Waterford as the second half unfolded.

Above: Tipperary sharpshooter Jake Morris

The home team eventually eased to the finish line by a margin of ten points, after Tipp had led by six in the opening half. Are Tipp now capable of making up that deficit when they return to the scene of the crime on Sunday afternoon?
They’ll surely be mindful of conceding too many frees. In the league game Stephen Bennett struck a total of 1-16, 13 points of which came from placed balls, and if they’re too open and loose, as they were in the second half when the sides last met, then they’re likely to be exposed for scores like Cork were in the league final.
Tipperary’s best in Walsh Park on March 6 were Mark Kehoe and Michael Breen, who each shot four points from play; Jason Forde, despite being off-target from a few placed balls in the second half; as well as Cathal Barrett, Robert Byrne and captain Ronan Maher in defence, while wing forward Conor Bowe also did well in the early stages.
Significantly, though, Waterford strolled to victory even without most of their Ballygunner contingent (although Michael Mahony and Pauric Mahony appeared for the last quarter of an hour), and without other stars such as Jamie Barron, Austin Gleeson and Calum Lyons.
Of course, Liam Cahill’s involvement as Waterford manager has added an extra layer of interest to Sunday’s tie. Having guided three county underage teams to All-Ireland success in the space of four years, the Ballingarry man has come close to taking charge of the Tipperary senior team on two occasions in the last few years.
Most recently, when a vacancy arose in the county again last autumn, he opted to stay loyal to Waterford, paving the way for Colm Bonnar’s appointment in Tipperary.

Above: Tipperary's Conor Bowe in action against Waterford during last month's national league game at Walsh Park 

Even if Cahill had taken over at the helm in his home county towards the end of last year, it’s debatable whether he would have been able to knock a tune out of this current group and turn them into a force capable of challenging for All-Ireland honours, instead of the sixth favourites, 18/1 rating that they now possess.
Waterford, incidentally, are second favourites at 4/1 behind 11/10-on favourites Limerick; such has been their rise in recent times that it was little wonder that Limerick manager John Kiely could be seen taking notes at the league final in FBD Semple Stadium.
Irrespective of who the manager is or the selectors he has alongside him, this is a Tipp team in transition, with a high quota of younger, inexperienced players who will need time to adjust to the rough and tumble of senior inter-county championship hurling.
Brendan Maher and Padraic Maher, two players who formed part of such a strong spine in the teams that lifted the McCarthy Cup three times in the space of a decade, have succumbed to the passage of time and the ravages of injury respectively.
Seamus Callanan, another player who is now in the twilight of a similarly illustrious career, has been ruled out of the early championship ties with a hand injury while John Bubbles O’Dwyer, another All-Ireland winner, is unavailable for the season because of injury.
Management’s options have been further limited by the unavailability of Bryan O’Mara, the Holycross player having taken off on his travels after some stellar performances with UL in the Fitzgibbon Cup, when he captained the side to victory.
The picture, then, is hardly encouraging for Tipp on the eve of the championship which, after Sunday, will continue with games against Clare at FBD Semple Stadium at 2pm on April 24; Limerick at the TUS Gaelic Grounds at 2pm on May 8, and Cork at FBD Semple Stadium on May 22.
Yet, for all that, and despite the low level of expectation that exists among Tipperary supporters, sport never ceases to amaze with its capacity to throw up surprises of all sorts.
Could Sunday be one of those days, when Tipperary might just prove capable of throwing a spanner in the Waterford works? It’s very doubtful but their fans will live in hope.

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