'Great result for Tipp football' - Power

GAA news

In solidarity with the GPA, who have instructed their members not to co-operate with the media as they ramp up their dispute with the GAA over travelling expenses, the Cavan players and management did not speak to the media after Sunday's loss to Tipperary.

The majority of managers and players across the country also followed suit although some opted to continue as normal, notably Galway manager Padraic Joyce, Monaghan's Seamus McEnaney and, at Kingspan Breffni, Tipperary manager David Power.

Power described the win over Cavan as “a great result for Tipperary football.” “We're after having a poor start in the league but we're after really turning it aorund in the last three games with three wins and the big thing now is that we get another two points next weekend,” he said.

“It's really in our own hands now and that's the big thing that we're looking at. There's no point coming up to Cavan now and winning and then going out and losing the next game. We have to keep positive and keep playing but the lads were just immense there today, our tackling, our defending, we got some great scores. Our goal was just super. Overall, we're very, very pleased but there are things we have to improve on as well.”

Tipp stayed in Dublin on Saturday night and Power felt that helped focus the mind to the task in hand.

“We went up to Dublin yesterday and we got a lot of great work done, just walk-through stuff, and there was a great focus there last night. There was great laughter, a bit of craic and fun. It was the first time since Covid that we could go away for a night and that was huge for us.

“I could sense today that there was going to be a big performance in us.”

An excellent goal from Caoimhin O'Reilly just before half-time seemed to have put Cavan, who had played against a strong wind, into pole position but Tipp were unruffled and went on to win the second half by three points, holding Cavan scoreless from play in that period.

“We were very unfortunate, Shane O'Connor soloed down and hit the post with a handpass and if that even went dead, we'd have been four points up at half-time.

“We were very unfortunate with that, but the big thing was not to make excuses, I said to them 'that goal won't define this game, we have to get on with it'.

To be fair, in the second half they were just brilliant.

“It was just a real dogged team performance. I thought Colm O'Shaughnessy at centre-back was just immense, you're talking about one of the top forwards in Ireland (Gearoid McKiernan) he was marking and he was just really, really good. Overall it's a good day but we need to move on, enjoy tonight and get ready now for next Sunday.”

Tipperary now move to seven points and with home games to come against Carlow and London, they are in with an excellent chance of gaining promotion and a place in the league final.

“We'll take it game by game. We've put ourselves back into this position which is huge and now we have to drive on,” said Power.

Cavan remain top of the table, despite this setback. A win over Tipperary would have secured promotion as it would have knocked the Munster side out of the running but given Cavan's positive score difference and the fact that the Breffni men have the head to head advantage over fellow promotion contenders Leitrim and Sligo, a win in London this Sunday would still more than likely guarantee Cavan's return to Division 3.