LONG READ: Tipperary's clash with Kilkenny will be preparation for the championship

A rallying second half from Tipperary earned a rich dividend in the penultimate round of the league series. Waterford’s wind-whipped first half threatened major damage before the recovery eased Tipperary nerves and rendered academic the final round against Kilkenny this Saturday.

There’s no denying the significance of the outcome. A third defeat on the spin would have piled on pressure ahead of Kilkenny’s arrival at Semple Stadium. Instead, the spectre of relegation has now been exorcised and the Kilkenny engagement can be used as grounding for the upcoming championship.

That outlook seemed unlikely as the first half unfolded. The big wind that was backing the Deise was part of the story but there was also an undeniable slackness to Tipperary’s effort, which was worrying.

A colleague remarked at one stage during the opening period that it looked like a repeat of the Limerick performance. He was correct. All of the drive and delivery was coming from Waterford. They were full of energy and running, getting numbers into the rucks and winning the breakdowns. With players breaking off the shoulder they were creating and finishing chances with great economy. It took nine minutes before Jason Forde had our first flag; by then Waterford had five on the board.

The Waterford shooters were coming from all quarters. By half- time they had nine players on the scoresheet, led by Dessie Hutchinson on five points and wing back, Shane Bennett, on four. They were running us ragged.

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However, we got a major break on 21 minutes thanks to an unwise short puckout by Billy Nolan. Jake Morris turned over the ball and John McGrath showed all his poacher’s instinct with a bouncing shot to the net past the hapless goalie.

There are times when modern tactics look brainless. With a gale behind you and your team free-scoring, why would you risk a short puckout to the feet of the full back? Two minutes later that silliness was amplified when Billy Nolan drove a huge delivery into his full forward line, where Sean Walsh fetched and finished a cancelling goal.

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Waterford’s lead would eventually stretch to ten points but McGrath’s goal had given us a foothold of sorts and we finished the half strongly with the last two points of the period. The margin was eight at the interval, nominally not much different to ten but psychologically important.

That significance was underlined on resuming when Stefan Tobin had an instant point and Waterford missed a few easy chances. The lead was halved five minutes into the second period and the backlash from Tipperary was gathering momentum.
Significantly, though, there was no quick drive to victory. Waterford stayed dogged and we struggled to unearth the necessary scores.

57 minutes had elapsed before we finally hit the front thanks to our second goal. It began with John McGrath who fed Jake Morris. The Nenagh man broke a few tackles heading goalwards before laying off to Gearoid O’Connor, who deftly finished past the advancing Billy Nolan.

Even then we laboured to put the game safe. Waterford stayed in it through Reuben Holloran’s free-taking; they only managed a solitary Sean Walsh point from second half play.

Ultimately, we did just about enough to get there. John McGrath’s input was crucial, hitting three second half points and 1-4 overall. The substitutes helped to seal the deal. Apart from O’Connor’s goal, Darragh McCarthy hit two points from frees and Andy Ormond did the same from play.

But our defence too was crucial in that period. Robert Doyle finally got to grips with Dessie Hutchinson, who went scoreless in the second half. And two key moments where we thwarted Waterford goals were critical to the day’s outcome.

Ronan Maher was having a battle royale with Sean Walsh. In the 63rd minute Walsh slipped past Maher out on the right and headed towards goal. Our cover looked exposed but at the last moment Bryan O’Mara dashed across to make a magnificent block.

Two minutes into injury time there was another close shave. On this occasion Dessie Hutchinson raided into the left corner but his pass across to a colleague was flicked away by Darragh Stakelum and the danger cleared.

We survived – just about. It was a half-game performance by Tipperary, lethargic in the first period but far more engaged in the second spell.

The interval reset was the catalyst, with the manager later complimenting the players for taking ownership of it. One wonders, by year’s end will we be viewing that 35 minutes at Walsh Park as a turning point.

I suspect Liam Cahill will have been well pleased with the second half turnaround. It wasn’t based on any judicious switch or tactical nuance but rather stemming from a collective team effort to get to grips with the opposition. More than anything they won the battle in the second half and when you do that the scores will usually follow.

The back-up play in defence was a very satisfying feature. Defenders will get turned on occasion so it’s important to have support players arriving to cover the danger. Imagine how that will feature when we face Cork on April 19.

The deployment of Oisín O’Donoghue in a half back role was interesting. Last year he functioned as a goal-getting, impact forward but perhaps the management now sees his versatility. One great catch in the second half, which earned a free, and a point scored from the sideline were highlights of his performance.

Building a deeper panel is part of management’s objective too, and in that regard they’ll have been excited by debutant Stefan Tobin. Lively and daring in his play, his four points was a huge contribution, as well as other assists. He’s definitely one to be nurtured.

The upshot of that Waterford win is that it takes some of the sting from Saturday’s game with Kilkenny. Barring a mathematical miracle, qualification for the final is beyond our reach, so let’s not even dream on that score.

That whipping from Limerick is the main culprit in our adverse scoring differential. So other, less tangible aspects, will be at play when the old foes clash this time.

You can be sure that our neighbours won’t have forgotten last year’s All-Ireland semi-final and how painful the experience was. Getting one back will be an easy motivation for them.

But perhaps they’ve an even more pressing need to show something this time. That hammering from Galway has left a bitter taste with a county that rightly prides itself on its battling qualities, even in defeat. The recriminations have been sharp. How better to banish that Salthill memory than putting one over the All-Ireland champions in their own bailiwick.

Our recent league record against our eastern neighbours is strong. We’ve won the last three encounters (two in Nowlan Park). Our last league defeat to The Cats was pre-Covid. In 2019 they came to Semple Stadium and went home smiling following a one-point win, 0-18 to 0-17.

The previous year, 2018, we lost twice to Kilkenny, by a single point in the group stages and by six points in the final. Both games were staged at Nowlan Park.

Since becoming manager of Kilkenny in 2022 Derek Lyng has yet to defeat Tipperary in either championship or league. It’s a record, I’m sure, he’d love to change on Saturday, even if there’s nothing tangible at stake this time.

Our historic record with Kilkenny in league games is pretty tight. The counties have clashed on 75 previous occasions, with Tipperary winning 35 and losing 33. There have been seven drawn matches.

Notably, of course, our league record against Brian Cody was dismal. Whether in group games or in finals, they just seemed to have our measure. Nowadays, things have changed so Tipperary are listed for Saturday as 4/9 favourites against odds of 2/1 on Kilkenny. I hope they’re right.