A busy weekend of GAA action throws in this afternoon with this intriguing meeting of Tipp and Tyrone at Semple Stadium.
We’ll be going minute-by-minute from 3pm but get in contact in the usual ways: leave a comment below, email adrian@the42.ie or tweet @the42_ie. Let’s do this.
In case you’d forgotten, Tyrone won that one by a point at Parnell Park in Dublin but the fallout was extreme. Fergal Logan, the winning Tyrone boss, was denied access to the Tipperary dressing room for the traditional post-match words of consolation.
Tipp were angry at some of the treatment dished out to their players out on the pitch and put up the shutters. Tipp alleged that their players were sledged but Tyrone pointed to a stamping incident that went unpunished.
Jackie Cahill on the backstory to today’s meeting in Thurles. Worth a read before throw-in.
Premier boss, Peter Creedon has been speaking to Sky:
“We’re going to have to match their pace and energy levels. The more we play the likes of Kerry and Tyrone we see it’s their work rate that’s superior to ours so that’s the big challenge. It’s something we haven’t done in the past against the top teams.”
Jackie Cahill’s in Thurles for us and will have a match report on the whistle as usual. Here’s his view from the press box:
Looks a grand day.
Here’s how Tipp will line out with dual star Colin O’Riordan the main man after a busy week:
The teams are currently standing for the anthem and we’re almost ready for road? How do you see this one going? Here’s how our readers saw it yesterday:
The Tyrone team that will hope to win their first championship meeting with Tipp:
Connor McAliskey opens the scoring for the visitors with an early converted free.
Quinlivan kicks another wide for Tipp moments after Colin O’Riordan seemed to be caught high but the ref wasn’t interested.
Tyrone 0-3 Tipp 0-0 Peter Harte shows great pace to burst down the middle but goes to ground and is awarded a generous free. Darren McCurry tacks on the point as expected.
Tyrone 0-4 Tipp 0-1 McCurry makes it a three-point game after the Premier opened their account at last through a Kevin O’Halloran free. The hosts look very nervy according to Darragh Ó Sé.
Tyrone 0-4 Tipp 0-2 Kevin O’Halloran has added another point to his and Tipp’s tally with a lovely 45 that sailed over the bar. They seem to be settling down and finding some rhythm.
Tyrone 0-4 Tipp 0-3 And suddenly it’s a one-point game. Quinlivan fists over a great point.
Tyrone 0-4 Tipp 0-4 Draw game. That’s three points on the hop from the hosts with Robbie Kiely adding the score of the game so far to level it up. Sean Cavanagh hits a free up the other end much to the crowd’s delight.
Tyrone 0-5 Tipp 0-4 Peter Harte kicks a monster point from way out and it was badly needed from a Red Hand point of view.
Tyrone 0-6 Tipp 0-4 There was lots of patient build-up from Tyrone until the ball was in Sean Cavanagh’s hands and he dispatched it over the bar predictably.
Tyrone 0-7 Tipp 0-4 Peter Harte has moved to left half forward and he’s scored two points now since going there. Three points on the bounce for the visitors from the north.
Tyrone 0-7 Tipp 0-5 Kevin O’Halloran lofted over another placed kick to take his tally to three for the afternoon.
Tyrone 0-7 Tipp 0-6 O’Halloran with a tough free-kick; you know the rest. It’s a one-point game after a period of nip and tuck there for a few minutes.
There’s a bit of a dust-up here on the line involving a dozen or so players in the wake of a perceived bad tackle from Tipp. The Premier aren’t taking a backwards step here though.
The ref is going to have to do something here…
Yellows for Joe McMahon, Cathal McCarron, Stephen O’Brien, Peter Acheson. And the teams continue their robust debate as they head for the dressing-rooms.
Tyrone 0-8 Tipp 0-6 Connor McAliskey gets the first point of the second half after doing some great work and then converting from a tight angle.
Tyrone 0-9 Tipp 0-6 Darren McCurry makes it a three-point tie again with a point from close in. They seem to have shifted a gear here.
Tyrone 0-10 Tipp 0-6 Darren McCurry tacks on another point and the Premier are all at sea. They’ve yet to score in the second half.
Tyrone 0-11 Tipp 0-6 The Red Hand are hammering the hammer, to borrow a phrase from Tomás Ó Sé. Conor McAliskey adds to his personal telly with an outside-the-boot effort.
Peter Creedon will need to stem this pretty quickly.
Tyrone 0-12 Tipp 0-6 Darren McCurry gets sight of the goal after a pass from Sean Cavanagh but his effort fizzes over the bar. Tipp need to wake up soon.
McCurry is substituted moments later.
Tyrone 0-13 Tipp 0-6 Mattie Donnelly carves out an opportunity for himself and then hits the score of the match, according to Darragh Ó Sé. Stephen O’Brien is replaced by Liam Casey, meanwhile.
RED CARD Tipperary’s Liam Casey sent off for stamping.
So this game is all but over. Tyrone are seven points up, completely in control and facing 14 men.
Casey was barely on the pitch two minutes but he clearly stamped and deserved the line.
Tyrone 0-15 Tipp 0-6 Connor McAliskey chips over another free that was generously awarded after a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge, if you ask us. In any case, it’s a nine-point margin now.
Tyrone 0-16 Tipp 0-6 Mattie Donnelly scores his second point of the afternoon and it’s all too easy now.
Colin O’Riordan has been called ashoted after 65 minutes of his third championship game in a week.
Tyrone 0-19 Tipp 0-7 Conail McCann hits his first point of his championship career for Tyrone. Tipp went to sleep and he gratefully received a quick restart before knocking over. Sean Cavanagh quickly adds another.
The officials say there’ll be four minutes of added time which seems cruel at this point.
I agree, whether I’m in a nightclub, pub, at a wedding supermarket, walking the dog, waiting for the train, at the docters, library, anywhere, I always ask myself “how can I score from here? “
Henry did something similar down in Argentina and now look at how good they are with the ball in hand in comparison to Argentine sides of the pre 2011 years.
Cullen & Dempsey asked for this themselves. If you can get a chat with a guy like Henry for a couple of hours over dinner then you’d take it. If you can get him for a couple of weeks then brilliant. It’s up to the two lads to ask the right questions and remember and understand the answers.
Leinster’s basic handling skill have been neglected for 3 seasons now. If we need to employ a coach to tell us to run and pass straight and not drift 30% across the field then we really are bad.
We have a team coached to win collisions rather than coached to score tries.
Henry is just off the plane, he is espousing his general philosophy, not analysing what is or isn’t happening at Leinster. Give it time.
One of Schmidt’s key mantras was getting Leinster to be one of the best passing teams in Europe. He succeeded, but it took time and a lot of effort, so it’s not as simple as ‘employing a coach to tell us to run and pass straight’. I’m sure Henry can bring much more to the table than that too.
I do find it funny how people have turned getting one of the best coaches in world rugby as a consultant into a negative thing though! Ah the Irish rugby fan.
Have to agree with Rascal here, Chris – Leo and Girv are relatively inexperienced coaches, but they are certainly not clueless. Henry is hardly going to give a detailed explanation of his coaching philosophy in a few off the cuff remarks to journalists, either.
I thought Leo did reasonably well in his first year as Head Coach, given how little experienced support he had around him – only McQuilken (50) was proven, and it was no coincidence that Leinster’s defence was by a mile the best aspect of their game last season. There was, I believe, also a substantial RWC hangover – Leinster had 23 players at the tournament
Experienced support of the highest order is what they have brought in here, and it speaks volumes of Cullen’s humility and desire to improve that he requested it. Quite the opposite of the situation that Axel has found himself in (and I do not mean that as a criticism of Foley or Munster – more that Leo was smart enough to learn from others’ misfortune and to actively seek to avoid a similar fate).
Cullen (38), Dempsey (40), Fogarty (38) are all very new to coaching at this level. It seems pretty clear that Henry’s task here is to assess and improve the coaches, not the players. That can only be a good thing. It was announced as a two week stint, although I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the relationship were extended beyond the announced fortnight.
Brian I never said they were clueless but honestly our basic handling skills are poorer than they were 3 years ago.
We play a win the collision/impact game rather than keep the ball alive and move it so we can create and finish chances
Agreed that the ball skills are considerably worse than they were when Schmidt left. Both players and coaches are of a considerably lower standard since, unfortunately, although there are some mitigating circumstances: we lost the best coach Irish rugby has ever had, the two best centres Irish rugby has ever produced, Sexton went to France and has yet to consistently find his groove since returning, Isa (arguably Irish rugby’s greatest import) hung up his boots in his prime (he’s still great, but not what he was), Rob Kearney lost his mojo, and the only decent winger we had was perennially injured (or playing centre!).
All of that being said, there is little doubt that standards slipped dramatically during MOC’s tenure. I think Leo may well be up to the task of bringing those standards back up again (less certain of Girv). The fact that Johnny has had a summer of rest could be the biggest factor ultimately – aside from being our key player, he is also the guy who most drives the standards in the squad.
Brian hopefully Johnny, Cian and Sean all come back after their first summer off in God knows how long refreshed and raring to go.
We have issues in the centre of the pitch teo, Luke and Madigan all gone and rob henshaw is injured.
Hopefully someone will step up and do the job.
I hope we don’t use a stop gap like switching Ferg or Zane and play some of the younger players.
I’m hopeful or a return to the good old days and with a bit of luck and fingers crossed we will
You think Darcy was better than Mike Gibson, Brian?
Arliss – good point; no, I’d have to concede that I don’t think D’Arcy was better than Michael Cameron Henderson Gibson. I think my point probably stands, nonetheless
Chris – I know, centre looks dreadfully thinly stocked. I’d imagine the Luke had been pencilled in as at least cover at 12 – he was excellent there last year. Now or never for Eoin O’Malley: he certainly has the attacking talent.. Can he learn to defend? I suspect not tbh. Tom Daly is going to see quite a lot of rugby, I think, and Ringrose is looking like a relative veteran!
*meant Noel Reid, not Eoin O’Malley. Such a shame we lost O’Malley to injury.
I can’t help but feel a lil more positive about the provinces minus Connacht o course
Ulster have a second season under kiss with him been there from the start this time around plus a few tasty signings
Munster have a new DOR plus D coach
Leinster have henry even if it is for only a few weeks and connacht need to continue their upward curve they havent lost many from their squad plus a new south afrian flyhalf no reason why all the clubs should be aiming for a knockout spot in europe
Sounds good, but you’d have to wonder about Cullen and Dempsey if they’re falling down in the basics. The positive is that the issues are being addressed, but is two weeks long enough? Will Henry be staying in touch afterwards and providing tips?
I hate when a troll slips in below the radar and gains traction like this.
Aww, I take it your not a fan of those terribly amusing panel shows programmes with humorist celebrities. PLEASE everyone take Rugby seriously for Rascal. Now what defensive lineout routines do you envisage him utilising? For league? In Europe?
You’ve lost me, Timmay…
Reminds me of the Steve Staunton/Bobby Robson combination Ireland brought a few years back.
Hopefully Henry doesn’t go and die too