Semple Stadium - sometimes misty, sometimes sunny - was the latest stage for newcomers to make a name for themselves in this NHL 1B clash
Colm Bonnar and Brian Cody will never be mistaken for Bob Fosse, but auditions continue in both counties.
Semple Stadium - sometimes misty, sometimes sunny - was the latest stage for newcomers to make a name for themselves in this NHL 1B clash.
Before the metaphor runs amok altogether this league game was the definition of an out of town tryout: two teams grappling with new playing patterns and unusual alignments made mistakes aplenty. Add in some rusty touches and glitchy radar and it was inevitable, perhaps, that the game was eventually settled by the most reliable striker on the field: Jason Forde.
“It was everything I thought it would be,” said Tipp boss Colm Bonnar afterwards.
“We kept faith with the same team that we had against Laois, we felt it was very important they continued with their development.”
Tipperary settled thanks to Forde’s proverbially smooth striking: Barry Heffernan and Jake Morris showed good energy as well. The home side were 0-10 to 0-4 before Kilkenny shook themselves: Padraig Walsh led a revival with a superb shimmy and point, but in injury time Tipp plundered 1-1, the goal coming as Morris sliced through to flick home: 1-11 to 0-8 at half-time.
“Six points up at half-time, I think we were in a good position,” said Bonnar. “But Kilkenny being Kilkenny, they were back nearly level after 10 minutes.”
Bonnar was correct: Kilkenny could be justifiably described as thundering into the game on the resumption, outscoring Tipperary 0-6 to 0-1 in the opening ten minutes of the half, Padraig Walsh driving his side on. Both goalkeepers produced fine stops but Kilkenny needed a goal to make it interesting, and entering the final ten minutes sub Tadhg O’Dwyer found the net for Kilkenny.
Another replacement, the impressive Walter Walsh, levelled the game with almost seventy minutes gone but Forde’s reliable accuracy found an injury time winner for Tipperary.
Kilkenny found their way into a game that was rapidly escaping their grip and might have snatched it. Positives for the black and amber, surely?
Their manager took a starkly binary view.
“We won the last day, we didn’t win today,” said Brian Cody.
“You won’t be happier when you lose than when you win, but it was a decent performance.
“They got a nice lead and it looked like they might drive it on, but the response was very good from the (Kilkenny) players, they fought it out to the very end.
“Again, we had wides we probably would prefer we didn’t have but overall the attitude was very good from the players.”
Both teams worked the ball out from the back - not always looking comfortable doing so - until the harum-scarum closing stages. Interestingly, Tipp boss Bonnar pointed to the challenges of implementing a particular approach.
“We want to have that courage - I know there were some cagey times when we played the ball out but it takes a lot of bravery for a player to do that, and we always commend players on doing the right thing, even if a score comes off it.
“It’s not easy when you have people looking on.”
On the Kilkenny side the Ballyhale contingent are awaited once they can rinse Saturday’s defeat out of the system, while the blue and gold had at least three certain starters on the bench in Thurles (two of whom, Ronan Maher and Seamus Callanan, appeared late on).
Where was the Broadway story? The youngster who goes out an unknown and comes back a star? With eight weeks to the championship, the time for auditions is getting tight.
