That familiar pattern that Tipperary supporters have become all too familiar with in the recent history of clashes with Limerick once again unfolded in Cork on Saturday night.
In the greater scheme of things, the optimist in some Tipperary supporters would tell you that this game was not a must-win and that all the work and toil of the last few months should all be geared toward one thing; beating Limerick in the TUS Gaelic Grounds in April.
Still, the pessimist would have felt that a win on Saturday against our old foes Shannonside was a necessity to build confidence in the players before the white heat of the championship, get the proverbial monkey off the back in the process, and dispel this aura of unbeatability that the Treaty has over the team currently.
So, where does the truth lie in all this?
It’s hard to know for sure but it is incredibly frustrating to see the same old story play out almost every time the teams meet and we will only know if the best-laid plans from Cahill and company can survive contact with the enemy in April because it didn’t once again on Saturday.
There has always been an element of shadowboxing between teams who are due to meet later in the championship, but Cahill was fervent in his assertion that Tipperary were going out to win this, and that perhaps has fed into the disappointment of supporters after the loss.
Regardless of the result and the performance level of Tipp, the big concern now will be the status of Seamus Kennedy after his withdrawal from the action in the middle of the second half in Cork, and his loss would be a huge blow to Tipperary going forward, and on they must go as they are just shy of securing a league semi-final spot yet due to the loss to Limerick.
The team will make the long trip up north to Belfast and Corrigan Park to face a severely depleted Antrim team who will be lacking in a lot of confidence given how their league campaign has unfolded to date.
They have had a huge exodus of players for various reasons from last year’s panel, and the sight of a Tipperary team coming to town with a need to rack up the scores to make sure of a final-four berth in the league will not exactly fill them and supporters with excitement.
As it stands, Tipperary are in third place in Division 1B and will need Limerick to beat Galway in their final group game along with a Tipperary victory. However, a Galway win would complicate matters, and should the Tribesmen pull off a win, all three of Tipp, Galway, and Limerick would finish tied on eight points.
If that happens, Tipp would need to beat Antrim by 30 plus points to leapfrog Limerick due to the Treaty’s superior scoring difference, and, in addition, it would send Limerick out of the league with Tipp and Galway qualifying for the semi-finals.
Tipp are at a slight advantage as their game will be played on Saturday - after the Limerick and Galway clash in Salthill in the early afternoon after a change of venue - and that will mean Tipp will know where they lie once they take to the field in Corrigan Park, but the likelihood of a Galway win in Salthill will be dampened by suspensions to Conor Whelan and Daithi Burke and that could be a godsend for Tipperary.
With the prospect of an unexpected exit from the league facing Cahill and his team, and a big winning margin the goal to secure safe passage, there will be a definite need to go strong against Antrim this weekend as this could be a final competitive game for Tipperary.
While the loss to Limerick isn’t the end of the world at this stage, it might have curtailed the best-laid plans going forward, with the break in championship week one for Tipp giving league progression extra emphasis for management.
Hopefully, those plans can still be put in motion after this weekend.
