It’s been a sub-standard year for Tipperary’s norm, in both codes.
Despite making a national league final their hurlers failed to make it out of the inaugural Munster round-robin series and their season was over by June 10, following defeat to Clare.
The county’s footballers didn’t fare out much better either. Their championship season opened with a Munster semi final against a struggling Cork side. They fancied their chances but ultimately found themselves on the wrong side of a 1-17 to 0-09 drubbing.
They entered into round two of the qualifiers where they drew perennial All-Ireland finalists Mayo. In a game they weren’t expected to win, they put up a good fight but lost by eight points in the end. The footballers’ season was over by June 23.
It is a far cry from 2016 when the Tipperary footballers beat Cork, Derry and Galway en route to an historic All-Ireland semi final, whilst the hurling side went on to lift their 27th Liam MacCarthy Cup.
The highs of 2016 have gone though, as Tipperary have struggled to make the same impact. However, their county set-up has never been much of a problem but the success of the Tipperary clubs beyond their county is scarce.
This tweet from Shane Brophy really makes for grim reading.
Tipp's last 15 reps' in the 6 Munster club competitions (senior, intermediate & junior hurling & football) have won just 2 games.
Tipp's last Munster champion in 2015 was Commercials in senior football but were the only team in either code to win a game that year also #offthepace— Shane Brophy (@BrophShane) November 5, 2018
Only two victories in the last couple of seasons is a poor record. But it only tells a fraction of the story. Tipperary have been under performing at club level compared to their county setup and it goes way back beyond 2015.
Clonmel Commercials’ win in the 2015 Munster club football championship was the county’s first ever triumph in the competition and it came at their tenth time of asking, having lost nine previous finals.
That can hardly be surprising though, Tipperary is predominantly a hurling county, and Munster football has been dominated by Cork and Kerry for God knows how long at this stage.
When we look to the Munster club hurling championship though it’s clear a problem exists.
In the last 30 years, Tipperary clubs have contested just seven Munster senior club hurling finals, winning five.
- Thurles Sarsfields (2012) Won
- Thurles Sarsfields (2010) Lost
- Loughmore-Castleiney (2007) Won
- Toomevara (2006) Won
- Nenagh (1995) Lost
- Toomevara (1993) Won
- Cashel King Cormac’s (1991) Won
Of these five teams who won, zero went on to collect the All-Ireland title.
To get to Tipperary’s last All-Ireland club championship win, you have to go all the way back to the 1986-1987 season when Borrisoleigh won the Tommy Moore cup.
Since Borrisoleigh’s All-Ireland triumph in the 1980’s only one Tipperary club has managed to make it to a final, Toomevara in 1994, 24 years ago.
How can it be that one of the so-called ‘big 3’ hasn’t won a senior club All-Ireland in over 30 years?
