PROBLEM SOLVER
Forde says himself and Callanan can link up
WHEN Tipperary won the All-Ireland two years ago, Seamus Callanan started every game and Jason Forde came on in every game.
It was more of the same throughout last summer with the pair starting just one Championship game together, the whitewash of Dublin.
Both are powerful full-forwards who take the frees and, until now, two into one clearly hasn’t worked which is perhaps why Forde has excelled this spring in Callanan’s absence. Three-time All-Star Callanan underwent back surgery early in the year, leaving Forde finally free to make the full-forward position his own.
The Silvermines man scored 7-72 throughout the campaign including 2-12 in the final against Kilkenny and has been named PwC Player of the Month for April.
The thing is, Callanan is training again and eyeing up his old number 14 jersey for the May 20 Munster Championship opener against Limerick, reigniting the debate about whether the two can play in the same forward unit together.
‘I wouldn’t put too much weight on that theory, to be honest,’ said Forde. ‘I suppose we haven’t played a whole pile together. Over the last couple of years I’ve actually been more coming off the bench and stuff so I don’t know where that theory would come from. Seamie is a top player, he has done a lot for us over the last few years. I see no problem with us playing together.’
Presuming that Callanan is fit and available for selection in a little under a month, Ryan simply can’t leave either of the marquee forwards out of his line-up.
He will have to decide who takes the frees though Forde noted it won’t be a straight tug-of-war between him and Callanan as John McGrath or ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer could take them either.
That’s a small issue to be sorted in the broader scheme of things because if Forde maintains his brilliant form he could power the county to more success.
‘I’m definitely not feeling pressure or expectation, I’m just really enjoying it at the minute,’ said Forde. ‘Getting a run in the team brings on confidence and I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve stayed injury free.
‘Over the last number of years I’ve had problems with the hamstring and stuff like that which has kept me out for a couple of weeks at a time.
‘Then you’re trying to get back in, with the club too, and it can affect your season. So thankfully I was healthy for all of the League and getting the run in the team is massive for confidence.’
Tipp approach the summer off the back of a League final defeat, just like last year. But the vibes are better this time around.
‘We lost in 2015 to Galway by a point in that All-Ireland semi-final. It’s really small margins that you’re talking about.
‘The littlest thing in a game can switch things in your favour. In 2016, those kind of things went with us, remember the hook Paudie Maher got in on Conor Cooney when he was in on goal? ‘Bubbles’ got that fantastic goal after coming off the bench.
‘Small things like that, they just maybe didn’t go for us in 2017.’
Still, Forde admitted they’re in a far better place now than April of 2017.
‘They are worlds apart,’ he said. ‘Against Galway in last year’s League final, it was a whitewash. We didn’t show up at all. It can be hard to bounce back from that.
‘This year, just taking the League overall, I think we have a lot of positives we’ll be able to take from it. Confidence will definitely be high going into the Championship.
‘But we know what Limerick are going to be like,’ added Forde.
That League semi-final we played was a cracking game with absolutely nothing in it and I know a lot of those lads from college. They are top class guys.’