Number of frees Jason Forde has scored in a row without missing isn’t even funny

Niall McIntyre

It’s 222 minutes since Jason Forde has hit a free or a 65 wide in a Tipperary jersey.

Tipperary’s opponents should know by this stage. Give away a free and you’ll pay for it. And it doesn’t matter where the foul is committed because the Silvermines sniper can swing them over from all angles and all distances.

With a routine as refined as a professional golfer, Forde absolutely rasps them over the black spot with the consistency and dead-eyed power of Dustin Johnson with the driver in hand. The chances of him missing one are about as high as Michael Van Gerwen missing the dartboard with a tungsten arrow.

Free-taking is a refined art. That’s why the team’s most skilful player is generally the man standing over the dead balls. Not only do frees require intense levels of skill, however, they also require a giant set of balls.

Everything freezes when a free-taker is lining one up. The crowd hushes, all eyes are on one man and one man only. Free-taking is a tough gig. Miss and they’ll jump on your back, score and you’re only doing your job.

In Seamus Callanan’s absence through injury, Forde has more than stepped up to the plate.

Tipperary folk are famously demanding and critical of their hurlers. Jason Forde hasn’t given them as much as a squeak to give out about.

As well as coming into his own in open play, the sharpshooting full forward has been made scoring frees look as easy as topping an egg.

We had a look back at his last few games in the blue and gold and it turns out that the man’s last errant free came in the 58th minute of Tipperary’s National Hurling League semi-final against Limerick.

And in that game, this was his only miss out of nine frees taken.