Poor prognosis for seniors’ chances against Tipp

CLARE hurling legend, John McMahon, who won two GAA All-Star Awards in 1976 and 1977 for his commanding exploits at corner-back, reckons the current team doesn’t stand much of a chance against a bullish and dominant Tipp side.
“You’d be hoping that Clare give a good account of themselves but I can’t see them winning it.”
The Sunday game, to be played at the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick, sees Clare with six Munster titles to their name face up to Tipperary with 38. These two last met under the same circumstances at the same venue in 2009, in which Tipperary survived a late Clare comeback to qualify 3-18 to 1-22 and ultimately win the final.
John ‘The Mower’ McMahon believes this Clare side is missing “four or five players” to get back to anything near their glory days of the 1990s. Most notably, he suspects a weak spine is what holds them back, as well as a distinct lack of leaders on the pitch.
“The disappointing thing about the ’90s was that after the boys like Seanie Mac, Jamesie O’Connor and Lohan left, we were expecting the likes of Tony Carmody and the Gerry Quinns of this world to replace them. They didn’t lead the way the five or six previous players did. A centre-back in the mould of Seanie Mac would be a huge asset to Clare right now.”
However, the promising players currently coming through the U-21 and minor squads should be watched carefully, according to John. “You can give those U-21 players a couple of years, particularly the backbone of that team. Plus, unusually for Clare, there are some lovely forwards coming through the minor team. If they transform into seniors, given three or four years, we could be back up there again, challenging.”
The success shown by the likes of Kilkenny and Tipperary is down to a number of factors according to McMahon. Firstly, they employ the short hand-passing game very effectively. “Teams like Waterford and Cork are using the hand-pass too much. It slows them down. Kilkenny use it when they have to and are moving the ball quicker.” Secondly, teams are operating more fluidly. “The players can all play different positions on the field, particularly the forwards. It’s a huge advantage to a team to have players that can do that.”
While John isn’t a fan of the increasing reliance on the short pass seen recently, he is delighted to see full-forwards come back into the game after a period of 10 or so years where the position wasn’t as important or wasn’t as relied upon. “Now, the good teams are hitting it up the shoulder of the full and it suits the fast game. Look at Joe Canning at Galway.”
He also believes that the increased hand passing has led to more congestion in the middle of the park. “The game was more direct in the ’70s. Now, I pass it to you, you pass it to me and suddenly there’s 10 players around the ball. It’s a negative of the modern game in my view,” McMahon concluded.