More than a Munster medal at stake for the victors

BACK MAN'S JOB with Paddy Stapleton

 

Munster Final medals are very important, especially when you retire and look back at what you earned from a career spent sacrificing family and social life.

They’re also vital when you haven’t been winning for a long period and realise that these medals can end up very hard to come by - ask Limerick, Clare and even Waterford now who haven’t won it since 2010.

For this Tipperary team though they just want to keep winning and increase their self-belief to an even higher level. In 2008, Liam Sheedy would always talk about these games as ‘steps’ and listening to Seamus Callanan’s man of the match interview after the last game in Thurles there was a distinct lack of emotion and fanfare attached to being in the Munster Final. Even though Munster is important, the players are experienced enough to know that the All-Ireland is the real gauge of what is achieved in a year.

My memory wouldn’t be fantastic at the best of times but if you asked me who won the provincial championships in a year when Tipperary didn’t, then I would have to think long and hard about it. Ask me who won the All-Ireland in any year that I’ve been following hurling and an image of that team comes straight to mind. Yes, winning the trophy would be nice on Sunday, especially for supporters, but winning to keep the team on course to compete for the All-Ireland is the ultimate goal.

It is always difficult to beat a team twice in a row in the same year, never mind the same month, but this is the task in front of the premier men. What they should be thinking is that if we can turn them over again then we will have a mental advantage for the rest of the year. If a team keeps beating you it can be difficult to find what you need to get the better of them. If these two sides keep the consistency in their management teams over the next 3 or 4 years then this could be an epic rivalry.

 

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