Eviston inspired by Tipperary hurlers success ahead of semi-final showdown with Galway

RTÉ News​

2 days ago

Mairead Eviston is hoping that Tipperary's inspirational All-Ireland comeback victory can provide the momentum to take the camogie counterparts into this year's decider.
The Premier County's camogie side have not reached the final since 2006, which signalled an end to the all-conquering era around the turn of the millennium when Tipperary won five All-Ireland titles in six years.
However, this year Eviston & Co are seeking to right that wrong and go one step further than their 2024 campaign and beat Galway at UPMC Nowlan Park in this afternoon's semi-final.
It's the first game of the Kilkenny double-header as Tipp and Galway resume rivalries before reigning All-Ireland champions Cork take on Waterford in the other semi-final.
And Eviston is hoping that the momentum within the county can help inspire the team to a performance to take them into the final.
"It was a brilliant distraction on Sunday," said Eviston, speaking to RTE Sport. "You could soak up all the energy around the stadium. It was an incredible game and an incredible result for us.
"I don't think anyone in the country gave us any hope at the weekend. Even at half time, I suppose a lot of people were like, Cork are going to kick on here.
"I know the lads, they'd never give up. I knew they'd keep fighting and that's exactly what they did. I think it just really goes to show a bit of hard work and determination that you can really hurt opposing teams.
"It's great energy now for us coming into our semi-final."
Tipperary qualified for the quarter-finals after securing second place in their group, and they then moved into the last four by beating a strong Kilkenny side with six points to spare at the end of extra-time.
But things looked a lot different back at the end of May as Tipperary disappointed in their opening group game, emphatically losing to Cork by 18 points at The Ragg.
However, that overwhelming defeat to the reigning champions would help kick-start Tipp's campaign, as they bounced back in style to hammer seven goals past Wexford, before easily accounting for both Limerick and Clare.
"I suppose starting off with Cork, it was a real upset for us," admitted Eviston.
"I think in hindsight, it's probably something that we needed. We had a lot of tough conversations after that and then really applied ourselves at training and seemed to kick on from that.
"We did exactly what we needed to do to get over our group games, and I think we definitely needed a competitive game, so getting a quarter-final was probably very beneficial for us.
"Particularly getting the 80 minutes into the legs as well against a top-class team and grinding out the win," she added, regarding the extra-time win over Kilkenny in the quarters.
"I think that just brings great confidence into the group. Having the three weeks now as well to get the body right has been very beneficial."
Eviston believes that the run of form will take them into the last-four clash with full belief that they can progress to this year's All-Ireland final.
And the Drom & Inch woman also feels that Tipperary are a much-improved side that bowed out of the competition at the semi-final stage last summer, which she puts down to stronger mental resolve combined with the arrival of the next generation.
"We have the team there. We have the squad to do it. We've put in really hard work this year now to better our performances in what has probably let us down in the last two semi-finals. Even from a mental aspect, that has been a huge focus element for us this year," she said.
"Particularly that Kilkenny match, I think that just really goes to show where the mental growth has come this year in comparison to last year's semi-final.
"Probably the previous Tipp team would have put the head down and allowed Kilkenny to kick on and win that game.
"We didn't. We really pushed on in extra time to win by a good few points. I think that really showed the growth from last year.
"And we're very lucky to have players coming from the junior team that won the All-Ireland last year and also from the minor All-Ireland winning team last year.
"They're coming with great experience and they're really pushing us all on at training.
"I think players themselves have really taken their own individual performances to another level as well, which is really helping us as a collective."
Looking ahead to the challenge of Galway, should Tipp progress, they will have the luxury of sitting back in Nowlan Park to enjoy the second semi-final to assess what lies beyond in the final, and Eviston is happy to be playing in the early game this afternoon.
"Against them, you know you're going to get a hard-fought game," she said.
"It's going to go right down to the wire and we're going to have to keep tuned in for every single ball that's pucked around the field.
"At this stage, we can only really focus on our own performance and just ensure that we're bringing that high energy throughout the game. Starting right from the beginning and not waiting 15-20 minutes or even to half-time to really kick-start.
"I suppose for us the importance will be coming down the home stretch as well. No matter what position we're in, we keep kicking on and keep our performance high right down to the final whistle."
"I think so," she added, when asked if she was happy to play in the first game of the doubleheader.
"I definitely think there's benefits to it. You're in the first game, you're not coming in to play the second game knowing who's won the first game and who's playing in the final.
"You can really set the tone, you're coming into a calmer stadium as well to get your preparation right.
"I would definitely say there's merit in it and I would prefer it to be the first game."