Two quick
observations. This time last year, Michael Walsh was lining out at centre
forward in an experiment that never took off. Another head scratcher is that Jamie
Barron has spent almost all of his underage inter county career as a corner
back. These two are poles apart in terms of inter county experience but on
Sunday, back in their rightful spots, Barron and the Brick chipped in to topple
Tipp for the first time in nine attempts.
Waterford’s revival had hit a bump in the
road before Barron struck sweetly from an acute angle with a minute of normal
time remaining. He clearly had the upper hand over Donagh Maher all afternoon
and his contribution of 1-1 was significant on a day considering that only 1-6
of the final total came from play. And the Brick? Well, he was the voice of
reason and a calming influence when it was required. Eamonn O’Shea’s side led
by three points on three occasions in the first half and then by five in the
second. Walsh led a patient recovery mission each time and put up a barrier in
front of the confident Seamus Callanan.
When Kevin
Moran’s screamer swung inside the post and he raised his fist in jubilation,
the crowd stood in delight and disbelief. A connection had been restored. A
seed was sown when the team dug in for a draw against Cork and the home crowd sensed that this
comeback was on. Afterwards, some shook hands with Michael Ryan and many others
entered the field to let it all sink in. Doubts were left to lie and belief was
back. Taking the scalp of Tipp puts plenty of credit in the bank.
This league
of fine margins has, by in large, been played out in cold, wet and windy
conditions. In such circumstances, the scoring rate dips and the team with the
greater intensity, higher tackle count and lower error count generally
prevails. Tipp dropped their guard and their discipline in the final furlong
and Waterford
pegged them back point by point. Michael Ryan put his finger on it afterwards. “The last five or six minutes epitomised the
way this team has worked all year, with their character, their guts, their
commitment and their fight and it’s all about the fight.” Almost twelve
months ago, Tipp trounced a disorganised Déise and accumulated 31 points in the
process. The difference between now and then is not just about the fight but
another F word: fitness. Nicking a one point win in Ennis, retrieving a two
point deficit against
Cork
and reeling in the runaway leaders on Sunday shows their stamina. They are
certainly sticking the pace and the Fitzgibbon Cup has been a help rather than
a hindrance.
Waterford’s
late fadeouts were a consistent theme running through the league and
championship of 2012 so it’s welcome reversal of that trend.
A notable
feature of this game was how both teams dealt with playing into the breeze. Jamie
Barron’s goal benefitted Waterford
twofold. Firstly, it helped them settle after a rocky opening and it also kept
them in touch when Tipp threaten to build up a cushion. The elements didn’t
deter the visitors either and on the restart, they won four frees in quick
succession. The home side were much the happier at half time but it was the
Premier that powered on.
Seamus Callanan has hardly produced a more rounded
performance in the blue and gold than last Sunday. He scored five points in the
first half and another five in the second. He scored five from play and five from
placed balls. After picking off some early points, he was up and running. With
his confidence flowing,
Waterford
couldn’t get a handle on him.
The
dominance of the half back line offered a shield and prevented the Drom and
Inch man from going deep into double figures as Tipp wilted. This was
surprising given the strength of their bench but their lack of ball winners
came back to cost them.
Waterford
battered down the door in the last ten minutes. They were almost left to rue a
couple of chances that went awry as Jake Dillon and Pauric Mahony were off
target. Seamus Prendergast switched to the square, created a bit of a stir and
won a free off Paul Curran. They were still two points short before Barron and
Dillon stepped in. Lar Corbett’s effort then fell short before Moran tried his
luck.
“There was a big wind
with us and it was a bit of a hit and hope. It was lucky enough I suppose but
we’ll take it.” They had earned that slice of good fortune and they are
raising expectations with each passing week as the positivity in the camp
transfers to the terraces.
No comments:
Post a Comment