TIPP WILL WIN BUT CLARE ARE ON RIGHT PATH

had Tipperary started last Sunday with Dan McCormack in midfield and John McGrath in the forwards and left Conor Bowe on and Bonner Maher off, they would have two points on the table.

As it was, they surprised most people with their display.

They stood up physically to Waterford and their young players — especially the three defenders and Mark Kehoe at full-forward — all played really well.

It confirmed the view that all four should have been there last year, instead of the Dad’s Army outfit that allowed Limerick to run through them in the Munster final.

And they did this despite two of their best players — Jason Forde and Ronan Maher — being unusually quiet.

Form

They now know that the third place in Munster is theirs if they reproduce this form over the next three games and if Colm Bonnar picks their best team.

It won’t worry Brian Lohan that Clare have hardly been mentioned in all the previews of the Munster Championship.

Nor will the surprising appointment of James Owens as referee, following his controversial decision to award a penalty to Tipp in this fixture last season.

The good news for Clare is that there are green shoots at underage level pushing up through what was a very barren landscape.

The Under-20s unluckily lost their games against Championship favourites Limerick and Cork only in time added on. And the minors have already given two very promising displays.

Lohan decided that, if the County Board wouldn’t bring about change, he would grasp the nettle.

Organise

He set up Club Clare to organise support for all county teams and persuaded outstanding people like Brian O’Connell and Terence Fahy to get involved in management.

In turn, they recruited the likes of Brendan Bugler, Cyril Lyons and Donal Moloney and many other top class people to rally to the cause.

It’s all still in the lower division compared to the academies of Limerick and Cork but it’s a start.

Further good news is the return of Shane O’Donnell and Peter Duggan which means Clare have a very decent forward line when you add in Shane Meehan, David Fitzgerald, Cathal Malone and the incomparable Tony Kelly.

The big problem, of course, is the lack of pace in defence and the make up of the midfield.

Earnest and genuine as Clare will be, Tipp’s confidence is high after last Sunday. They are likely to win.

pressure : Tipperary’s Barry Heffernan and Padraic Maher with Aron Shanagher of Clare