AS THEY WATCHED Séamus Callanan lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup that summer of 2019, Tipperary’s supporters could hardly have imagined going without so much as a return trip to Croke Park for the next four years.
Especially so when, one week after that success, Liam Cahill’s U20s put five goals past Cork (four of them inside eight minutes) to make it an All-Ireland double and in some style, with 13 goals scored between semi-final and final.
The good times looked set to keep on rolling.
Many of that U20 team will get a first run out at GAA HQ this Saturday against Dublin for the first time in years, if not ever.
Cahill’s seniors have suffered repeated injury blows in recent weeks which is why his team selection offered some encouraging news ahead of this weekend.
Conor Stakelum and Brian McGrath who limped off against Laois are back. So too is Conor McCarthy after hobbling off early in the Munster Hurling League final against Cork.
Stakelum and McCarthy provide much-needed depth in areas that have seen injuries run deep into Tipp’s reserves.
Paddy Cadell, Ger Browne, and Ciarán Connolly, all midfield candidates, are out for the season. A 10-to-12-week injury layoff for Cathal Barrett comes with other corner-back options Craig Morgan and Barry Heffernan already long-time absentees.
But Tipperary have plenty of potential in hand, with Cahill looking to build options in all positions.
Michael Breen, growing into full-back across the past five games, is switched to wing-back with double-winning Fitzgibbon Cup captain Bryan O’Mara getting the test at the edge of the square. Breen may remain plan A for the no.3 jersey but identifying able deputies is another springtime task to be ticked off.
Tipp’s fresh-faced full-back line of McCarthy, O’Mara, and Johnny Ryan all played in that 2019 All-Ireland U20 success under Cahill, as did Eoghan Connolly who replaced Barrett after his injury against Kilkenny.
Ryan’s burst of pace to turn defence into a point for Mark Kehoe late in the day against Kilkenny summed up the need for speed Cahill is chasing in his rearguard. The additions of Ryan, Breen, and Stakelum, among others, help insulate Tipperary against long-held slights concerning a perceived lack of pace.
Kehoe’s seven points against Kilkenny in the Dillon Quirke Foundation challenge proved timely just as his name appeared to be slipping down the Tipperary pecking order with no start since the early rounds of pre-season. Five of those points were struck off his less preferred right side.
Cahill has no doubt challenged Kehoe to produce again in the wide-open spaces of Croke Park, alongside Jake Morris and Jason Forde in a potent full-forward line which was often Colm Bonnar’s preferred inside trio last year.
The half-forward line, however, is brand new, with Alan Tynan adding much-needed ball-winning ability, his turnover creating Morris’s goal against Kilkenny. Gearóid O’Connor and Séamus Kennedy complete a physically imposing set for Barry Hogan to target on puck-outs, while O’Connor (0-11) and Kennedy (1-0) made their presence felt on the scoreboard too against Laois.
Conor Bowe, Séamus Callanan, Patrick Maher, and Noel McGrath queuing up for their opportunities off the bench gives an idea of the incentive to avoid any slip in performance.
Dublin have offered no handy points for Tipperary in recent years and none at all on their last two clashes, both in Thurles.
Tipp never led when these two met in 2019, Mattie Kenny’s first year as Dublin manager, with Dublin weathering a late storm to hold out for a one-point victory.
It was the same story last February, Tipp’s late charge not enough to deny Kenny’s men a win by the minimum.
Micheál Donohoe’s hand has been hindered by some high-profile dropouts but in Alex Considine and Cian O’Sullivan, he found an inside threat before both went off injured in their opening-day draw against Waterford.
Donal Burke (1-17 in two games, including 0-7 from play) and Cian Boland have also looked sharp in attack, with Chris O’Leary adding scores from midfield.
Conor Burke and Conor Donohoe have been solid in defence while contributing points in both matches.
The Dubs remain unbeaten but having conceded five goals between Waterford and Antrim, Tipperary, led by their goal-hungry general on the sideline, will provide a stern examination.
More important than their unbeaten records perhaps, as they bed down new-look sides, these may be the two teams most in need of a Croke Park baptism.
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