Hennessy was very poor for a few of them goals, diving the wrong way or diving feet first at the attacker. The first two despite being well struck were savable
Waterford have been poor but this has been an awesome Tipp performance, full backline very sticky and solid, half backline winning everything and driving on, McGrath winning all the breaks and linking things up, Bonnar going through tonnes of work and the inside forwards are on fire. McGrath, Callinan and Ryan have been quiet but Tipp have been excellent and really playing as a cohesive unit
Listening to to tipp supporters is painful… No grace at all
[quote=“chewy louie, post: 592358”]
Tis a strange auld game, both sides half backline well on top yet Tipp’s half backline are using the ball far far better and pumping long direct ball into the inside line who are on fire. Waterford instead are either playing it into the corners or just frining it aimlessly up the field.
All well and good talking about gameplans and tactics but when the opposition are just a far superior side and are tune in and up for it doesn’t make a different, class will always prevail[/quote]
nail on the head. the reason tipp, kilkenny and galway are so far ahead of all other counties is because they simply have the best players.
Im sure davy fitz has waterford well coached, their conditioning programme etc all up to scratch and ditto anthony daly and dublin. Makes fuck all difference if you dont have the personal.
On a side note, i hate all this crap about strength and conditioning in hurling. its a load of bollix. hurling is a game of skill and its the most skillful teams that are the most successful at any point in time.
@ kev, maybe we should get tommy walsh’s or jj delaney’s strength and conditioning coach down to show our lads how to field a ball?
Are Tipp peaking a month or two too early?
Not sure they are really peaking. The goals have come incredibly easily.
It is a mixture of both you need these days, the way hurling is gone it is all about possesion and direct hard running, you can have all the skill you want but if you can’t take the ball into a tackle and keep it you are at nothing, same way if you have light backs they will just bounce off tackles, you certainly have to have a bit of both. The days of the likes of a Seanie McGrath or Kevin Broderick being able to play on the 4o are long gone
chewy,
tipp get the ball and drive it down the field, direct hurling at its best.
yes but how do they win the ball in the first place, the likes of Padraig Maher and Shane McGrath winning ball on the ground or in the air, driving out through the tackles and into space in order to get the time and space to play the ball long and direct inside.
skill/technique - catching, quick pick ups, flicks to better positioned teammates. this is not football. how does tommy walsh will a high ball, jj etc?
I predict the introduction of Pa Bourke will produce yet more goals for Tipp
Kelly on for waterford. He’ll love that. I fully expect him to be sent off.
skill again
There is no substitute for skill and as I said you need to have both these days but to say that strength and conditioning is a load of bollocks is completely wrong. Hurling has changed to a game of real movement and use of the ball, the days of pulling on the ball fourty yards up the field are long gone, Cork using the possession/running game and then Kilkenny moving to a hardrunning/physical game and now Tipp with this movement and utilisation of possesion now means that you need to have players who can break tackles in order to create space for other players, just look at Bonnar Maher today, you can have all the skill in the world but if you cannot compete and win you 50/50 balls you will not get a foothold in the game
chewy,
some lads go on like its the most important variable, that is what annoys the fuck out of me. it has a place, but will never compensate for a lack of skill. dublin rae a great example, they are probably the best conditioned team in championship and that has help to offset/compensate for a lack of pure skill. its when you come up against tipp, kk and galway (when it matters) that this is shown up.
Brendan Cummins 
Galway’s whole game under McIntyre hase been based about physicality though and physically strangling teams in the middle third and they are probably the biggest/physically strongest side in the championship. Kavanagh, Smyth, Og Regan, Collins, Barry, Tannion, Gantley & Donnellan are all huge men and their team is based on their big physical spine.
Tipp do savage work on their physical conditioning with Cian O’Neill from kildare for the last four years
Thats twice ever Iv seen a keeper being taken off in championship hurling for pure showboating, ironically both against Waterford. Some record for Cummins but a bit of a pisstake taking him off like that IMO
Tipp taking the piss here
He has introduced a more physical and robust element to our play but to say Galways whole game is based on physicality is utter bollox