Tipp's new season begins with defeat that won't cause too much anxiety
Tipperary 1-12 Clare 0-17
A team that has developed a welcome winning habit over the past two seasons won't be too despondent with a January defeat as Tipperary hurlers approach a new season with fresh optimism.
Defending champions Clare travelled to Borrisoleigh for a Waterford Crystal Cup meeting with the hosts last Tuesday night week (January 26) and left for home with a two-point victory.
For Clare, this was a repeat success of last year's final victory against Tipperary in this competition but the Banner County won't need reminding of the season that unfolded for them thereafter.
Tipperary, in contrast, went on to contest National League and All-Ireland finals and successfully defended their Munster championship in a 2009 season which represented further progress under manager Liam Sheedy.
While Clare have endured a winter of discontent, with a very public dispute between players and management leading to the departure of Mike McNamara, Sheedy and his backroom team have been quietly plotting a fresh assault on major honours.
It now appears that Tipp are clear in second place in the pecking order behind NHL and All-Ireland champions Kilkenny but that's no guarantee that Sheedy and his players will reach heady heights again in the coming months.
Already, goalkeeper Brendan Cummins has warned that an even bigger effort is needed this year and the Munster championship meeting with Cork at the end of May is an extremely difficult assignment.
If Tipperary are to win a third successive Munster championship crown, they'll have to do it the hard way with a rejuvenated Cork, Davy Fitzgerald's Waterford and a Clare team infused with fresh optimism all looking to knock the champions off their perch.
Quite how the Limerick situation will pan out over the coming weeks is anybody's guess but educated observers believe that the county's big guns will be back in situ by the summer time.
And bearing in mind that Limerick suffered acute embarrassment at the hands of Tipperary in last year's All-Ireland semi-final, and with a major point to prove following the stand-off with Justin McCarthy, they are also dangerous opposition.
Factor Galway and Kilkenny into the championship equation, along with an emerging Offaly and a Wexford team boosted by the return of long-term injury absentees, and it's clear to see that we have a 2010 All-Ireland SHC to savour.
For Tipperary, nothing less than the Liam MacCarthy cup will suffice and of course, those levels of expectation bring their own inherent pressures.
But as Cummins pointed out in an interview last weekend, there were times in recent years when Tipperary players went out not expecting to win games and therefore, these new levels of expectation are positive.
For Cummins, the game against Clare was his first outing wearing a helmet, as is now obligatory under new GAA rules in force since January 1.
The Ballybacon-Grange clubman reflected: “I think that if I survived in the semi-dark, the rest should be ok. It will be fine too once I get into daylight and any training matches have been fine so far.”
To adjust and prepare for competitive fare, Cummins has been wearing his Mycro Lite helmet every at every training session from first minute to last.
The 34-year-old said: “I use it for all of the running and all of the ballwork.
“From the minute I step onto the training field until the minute I step off, I’m wearing the helmet.
“I want to get used to sweating in it and everything that it does so that nothing is a surprise.
“I’m lucky that the Mycro Lite helmet is very light and you wouldn’t even know that you have it on you.
“When the game (against Clare) started, it was a little bit weird and when the ball was down the other end of the field, you’d notice it an awful lot more.
“In my area, it was fine because you’re concentrating but when the ball is at the opposite end, your eyes catch the cage and before a fella takes a free, you’re jigging the helmet on your head to get it comfortable. But once the ball is struck, you wouldn’t even notice it.”
A bumper crowd, estimated in the region of 3,000 spectators, braved the bitter cold for the Clare match and both sides served up some good fare despite difficult underfoot conditions.
John Conlon, an All-Ireland U21 medallist from last season, was the outstanding player on show from a Clare perspective but there were impressive performances too from livewire midfielder Jonathan Clancy and the experienced Alan Markham.
Clare, under new management with Ger ‘Sparrow’ O’Loughlin now in charge, started with seven players who began last year’s Munster semi-final against Tipperary, while the home side fielded six of the players who lined out on that occasion.
A source of encouragement for all Tipperary supporters was seeing the name of Eoin Kelly on the teamsheet after the Mullinahone star missed all of last spring with a back injury.
Kelly’s treatment was tailored towards having the five-time Allstar forward fit for the championship and great credit is due to the medical staff as the ace forward peaked on All-Ireland final day and enjoyed a productive summer.
Kelly’s back problems will be monitored closely again but having him available for action for the National Hurling League will bolster the team’s attacking options.
At midfield, Benny Dunne put his All-Ireland final disappointment behind him with a solid and hard-working performance.
If the Toomevara man can tap into the memories of the first Sunday of last September and use them as a powerful motivating force for the coming season, he can have a real part to play in Tipp’s league and championship campaigns.
Sheedy, naturally, will use the forthcoming NHL campaign to take a look at fringe players but he is sure to field a strong line-up when Kilkenny visit Semple Stadium for an eagerly-anticipated league opener on February 20.
Clare built up a 0-5 to 0-2 lead with ten minutes on the watch and a feature of the game was their ability to keep Tipperary at arm’s length, holding the home team at bay with leads of a similar nature throughout.
Tipp did have the best sights of goal but Philip Brennan pulled off a couple of smart saves and at half-time, Clare led by 0-10 to 0-6.
Eleven minutes after the restart, and with Tipp trailing by 0-11 to 0-8, Kelly had the chance to restore parity with a penalty but his effort was batted away by Domhnall O’Donovan.
Clare looked comfortable from then on but Tipp were thrown a late lifeline in the 56th minute when substitute Noel McGrath netted.
Tipp were now back to within two points, trailing by 0-16 to 1-11, but they could not close the gap on Clare who left for home with a morale-boosting win.
Scorers for Tipperary: E Kelly 0-6 (5f), N McGrath 1-0, P Kerwick 0-2, G Ryan, B Dunne, P Bourke & S McGrath 0-1 each.
Scorers for Clare: M Flaherty 0-6f, J Conlon 0-3, J Clancy & A Markham 0-2 each, F Lynch, M ‘Ogie’ Murphy, D McMahon & P Donnellan (f) 0-1 each.
Tipperary: Brendan Cummins (Ballybacon-Grange); Conor O’Brien (ire g Annacarty), Declan Fanning (Killenaule), Paul Curran (Mullinahone); David Young (Toomevara), Thomas Stapleton (Templederry Kenyons), Shane Maher (Burgess); Benny Dunne (Toomevara), Gearid Ryan (Templederry Kenyons); Pat Kerwick (Killenaule), Hugh Maloney (Nenagh ire g), Paul Kelly (O’Loughlin Gaels, Kilkenny); Pa Bourke (Thurles Sarsfields), John O’Brien (Toomevara), Eoin Kelly (Mullinahone).
Subs: Michel Webster (Loughmore-Castleiney) for Bourke (39), Lar Corbett (Thurles Sarsfields) for P Kelly (45), Noel McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney) for Kerwick (48), Shane McGrath (Ballinahinch) for Ryan (56), Patrick Maher (Lorrha-Dorrha) for Dunne (60 + 2).
Clare: Philip Brennan; Pat Vaughan, Cian Dillon, Alan Brigdale; Domhnall O’Donovan, Brian O’Connell, Pat Donnellan; Martin Ogie Murphy, Jonathan Clancy; Alan Markham, John Conlon, Fergal Lynch; Mark Flaherty, Michael Scanlon, Aonghus O’Brien.
Subs: Diarmuid McMahon for O’Brien (43), John Cusack for Scanlon (51), Brendan Bugler for O’Connell (57).
Referee: David Copps (Cork).
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Weather for Clonmel
Saturday 04 February 2012
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