They may have moved into the Munster final, but Tipperary’s performance throws up a lot of concerns

ALL THAT really happened over a full weekend of hurling was Kilkenny proved they remain as focused as ever and Joe Canning provided further evidence of his brilliance. The All-Ireland champions are rightly 1 to 2 to make it four in a row but Galway, Dublin and Waterford are other hurling panels bringing plenty of positives into July.

In contrast, Tipperary are another team marching onwards, but yesterday’s performance uncovered plenty of problems, mixing the sublime with the downright poor. Their inconsistency will be a serious concern for manager Liam Sheedy ahead of another Munster final against largely the same Waterford line-up that outmuscled them in last season’s All-Ireland semi-final.

There are few excuses for a team leading 1-6 to 0-1 after 10 minutes to be clinging on down the home straight. Tipperary were cruising but lacked the ruthless streak Kilkenny exuded on Saturday evening.

It started so well with Lar Corbett shredding James McInerney for the opening – and it should be said easy – goal. John O’Brien was afforded way too much space by Pat Donnellan as well. Granted, they were playing with the wind in the opening 35 minutes but Tipperary looked primed to annihilate Clare.

It’s not as if Clare made any drastic changes besides Colin Ryan’s dramatic contribution as matters progressed but it was more the confidence gained from Tipperary’s error-strewn march to 13 wides. Many of them were inexcusable.

It made no sense to turn the three-on-two advantage Tipp held over the Clare full-forward line into a straight one-on-one contest. Paddy Stapleton followed Ryan out to midfield, leaving Diarmuid McMahon on Paul Curran and Niall Gilligan on Conor O’Brien. Diarmuid got a fantastic goal and suddenly there was life in the Clare challenge at half-time.

In hindsight, Noel McGrath’s points and general composure saved Tipperary. They really shouldn’t be so over-reliant on a teenager at this stage, even one of such natural ability. It also helped that McInerney was caught again on the wrong side of his man for John O’Brien’s goal. Just like Lar’s strike.

We thought Tipperary would kick on and show themselves as genuine contenders but instead they went quiet again.

Donnellan went to midfield with Brian O’Connell moving to wing back – a switch that saw Clare take over the middle third of the field. Tipperary lost control of centre forward as well with three different men deployed there in the second half.

They started losing players as well with Conor O’Mahony not over his recent illness and Shane McGrath replaced.

Suddenly the unthinkable was occurring with Clare beginning to raid forward. Ryan’s free-taking was outstanding (he purposely put top spin on the last free that Brendan Cummins saved) and there were some great goal chances, only denied by Cummins’ evergreen reactions. One brilliant save from Gilligan and a hugely important touch by Curran to steer the sliotar away from McMahon, and another timely intervention by Paddy Stapleton as Barry Nugent was about to pull the trigger, saved them. All this after sweeping into an eight-point lead.

So, Tipperary move into the Munster final but this performance throws up a lot of concerns. When moving at pace and with confidence they looked outstanding but when the pressure comes on they find it very difficult to win primary possession. The same problem was evident against Cork. They need to improve for Waterford while Kilkenny are operating on a much higher level.

The Déise manager, Davy Fitzgerald, will certainly have gained a lot of confidence from this display after his team got the job done against Limerick. They have an excellent record against Tipperary in recent seasons.

Galway and Kilkenny served up a battle of far superior ferocity on Saturday night. It was an outstanding match that allows Galway manager John McIntyre to take plenty of solace. Twice they looked to have Kilkenny beaten only for this great team to rise from the dead. The brilliance of racking up a succession of points in the last 20 minutes was Kilkenny at their very best. When chances came their way Henry Shefflin and Eoin Larkin went up a level while Derek Lyng’s impact in midfield off the bench delivered a fine victory.

Aidan Fogarty’s work inside must also be noted but it came down to a superb show of physicality to overpower Galway’s half-back line. This was killing Kilkenny in the first half with a direct supply to Joe Canning and Damien Hayes but moving John Tennyson in front of Canning (who yet again reaffirmed his magnificence with two goals) allowed Kilkenny a platform to reverse the trend.

Richie Power took his goal well and showed great vision to put Eddie Brennan in – two goals that brought Kilkenny back within striking distance.

It is a credit to Galway that they came again through Niall Healy and a thunderous Canning goal from a free but it was at this juncture the result was decided. Galway had two frees soon after the goals, one certainly in a better position to Canning’s second, that he clipped over the bar.

Maybe he was instructed by the line, but when you have Kilkenny on their knees you need to kill them off long before the finish. Otherwise they will come back at you, as they duly did.

Less celebrated panellists like Seán Cummins and John Dalton, along with Tommy Walsh and JJ Delaney, helped to steady the ship but when Larkin, Shefflin and Fogarty started winning ball in the forwards they became unstoppable.

Kilkenny remain on their chosen course with a novel Leinster final to come against Anthony Daly’s Dublin. It is unlikely that they will hurt Kilkenny but to finally get past Wexford was essential to hurling in the capital. What we learned is what we already know; Kilkenny remain a level above the rest and, their hunger undiminished, they have no problem dirtying their bibs when required.