Callanan is leading from the front

When Liam Sheedy's return as Tipperary senior hurling manager saw him announce Seamus Callanan as captain of the team, there was an element of concern.
Was this Liam being loyal to the old guard, one of whom was Callanan who was the first of the 06 minor winning team he brought onto the senior panel as manager in 2008 and yet here is is still around.
At the age of 30, Seamus Callanan was the oldest player on the panel and was coming off a difficult 2018 in which back surgery early in the year saw his performance levels blunted come the championship where he was well off his best.
Seamus knew it too but one aspect that couldn't have been questioned last year was his effort and work-rate, despite contributing just five points in four championship games.
However that workrate, coupled with a desire to get back to his very best is what Liam Sheedy saw as the ideal trait to be the captain of his team in the first year of his second term and it has proven to be an inspired choice.
“When Liam (Sheedy) came in and gave me the call to be captain it was huge for your club, Drom & Inch, your family and yourself,” Callanan said.
“It is such a huge honour to put on the Tipp jersey first of all. At the end of the day I am very, very lucky. We have a lot of really good leaders who came in from the under-21. All the guys who came in from that panel are huge leaders. Of course we have the likes of Brendan and Padraic, guys who captained Tipperary before; we have that so there is no weight on anyones shoulder. No one is carrying an extra burden that they have to be this or that kind of a leader. There are so many lads in the dressing-room with leadership qualities it is great.”

 

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