BEFORE the Munster final in July, former Tipperary player Shane McGrath spoke about the perception around Tipperary.
What Tipp won never seemed to matter; what they didn’t win seemed set to define that team which McGrath played on.
Outside of Kilkenny, no other team has won as many matches, or by as much, in the last six seasons.
Yet the big days shape everything, especially perception. Four of the seven matches Tipp have lost since 2010 were All-Ireland finals or semi-finals.
“You’re ultimately judged by what you won, and by how well you did on the big days,” said Shane McGrath.
“And of those big days, we only won once.
“We could have won more. Only for a computer (Hawkeye) we would have another All-Ireland. That’s how fine the margin often was between us being viewed as a really good team, as opposed to one seen to have underachieved.”
Tipp’s status has largely been framed by Kilkenny, not just because they are the standard, but because they are the benchmark by which Tipp historically judged themselves.
Yet Kilkenny have been the benchmark for everybody over the last 17 seasons, winning 11 All-Irelands and are now on the hunt for a 12th in that time.
The Tipperary side of the modern era could have been great. The brilliant Cork side of 2000-06, which were denied a three-in-a-row, could have also assumed true greatness, if the county board hadn’t messed them around, and if that great Kilkenny team weren’t as devastating as they were.
The swashbuckling Waterford side of the last decade, which didn’t even win an All-Ireland, could also have won a few All-Irelands if they weren’t around the same time as Kilkenny.
The current Kilkenny side may certainly not be as strong as the team of the last decade. But the current Kilkenny success has been such a constant that the Cody era and his teams will be regarded as the greatest in the history of the GAA.
Witnessing such Kilkenny domination is killing Tipperary, especially when they feel they have players just as good, if not better. Tipperary have the firepower to beat Kilkenny now. Yet they had those guns in the past too and the basic reason they haven’t beaten Kilkenny is, apart from 2010, they have never worked as hard, especially their attack.
That issue still needs to be addressed. Of the 18 hooks-blocks-tackles made by the Tipp attack in the All-Ireland semi-final against Galway (including subs), 10 came from Dan McCormack and Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher. McCormack made more plays (22) than any other Tipp player.
McCormack has given Tipp something different. So has Seamus Kennedy and Michael Breen, and especially John McGrath. From a combined 58 plays in this Championship, McGrath has scored 3-4 from play and been centrally involved in 11 more scores.
Many of those players have brought something different, a harder edge, to Tipperary, which has framed a large part of their new identity under Michael Ryan. Much of Tipp’s style now is based on the Kilkenny template – robust, physical, more direct, players are expected to win their own ball.
In Liam Sheedy’s time, Tipp had a target of hitting 13 balls into the full-forward line.
In four games against Kilkenny between 2009-2012, Tipp averaged 15 balls into the full-forward line. In the All-Ireland semi-final against Galway, Tipp hit 14 long balls alone into the full-forward position. They only won four. The ball was more cultured, more precise, in Sheedy’s time. It will have to be too on Sunday.
Tipp know how this works against Kilkenny.
In that League meeting in February, Tipp played 44 long balls into their attack and won just 12 (27 per cent). They mined just seven scores from that possession. Tipp played just 10 short stick-passes over the 70 minutes. Those kind of numbers will kill Tipp on Sunday, which is why they will need to mix their game up more, to play more around Kilkenny.
Brian Cody will also be planning now for what he saw from Tipp against Galway. TJ Reid will probably pitch up on Seamus Kennedy, Richie Hogan might move to centre-forward on Ronan Maher. Cody will see Walter Walsh as the perfect physical foil for Padraic Maher.
On top of those match-ups, Cody will want those influential players in the area where Tipp launch the most ball.
Putting Reid, Hogan and Michael Fennelly in the middle for the All-Ireland semi-final replay arrested the stranglehold Waterford had in that sector. Reid, Hogan and Fennelly had a combined 49 possessions. Fennelly though, is a huge loss now.
Waterford obliterated Kilkenny in hooks-blocks-tackles in the drawn game (52-38), something no team had managed against Kilkenny. Yet Kilkenny turned that stat on its head in the replay (41-31).
Tipp showed nothing like that work-rate against Galway. They were outmuscled, losing the hook-block-tackle count (49-37). Galway won more puck-outs (33-27). Galway won more rucks and dirty ball.
Tactically, they choked the Tipp attack by blocking off the channels but surviving in all those circumstances shows the difference in Tipp this summer. Winning a tight match, especially when Tipp had made a habit of losing tight Championship matches since 2013, will have further boosted their confidence heading into the final.
Tipp will also appreciate now too how much Michael Fennelly’s absence levels the playing field. The immense cover alone he provides to the Kilkenny defence is a factor that can’t be overstated.
Conor Fogarty will move from centre-back to midfield. Kieran Joyce will more than likely come into centre-back, where he has a decent track record on Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher. With Mark Bergin likely to lose his place after the Waterford game, that might open the door for Lester Ryan at midfield, with Reid and Hogan probably moving to the attack.
Tipp will have come on from the Galway game but so will Kilkenny after the Waterford replay. For Kilkenny, an All-Ireland final is also just another game.
Tipp will have to handle that big event but they know more than anything that they will have to work as hard, if not harder, if they are to finally beat their great rivals.
