Tipp Under 20 Hurlers begin Championship away to Kerry this evening

GAA: O’Neill’s Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship Preview

By Shane Brophy

KERRY v TIPPERARY

Austin Stack Park, Tralee

Wednesday 6th April

Throw-in @ 7.00pm

Referee: Nicolas O’Toole (Waterford)

After a number of years learning his trade, Brendan Cummins has chosen now as the time to call the tune.

Previously involved with management teams in Laois and Kerry, the former Tipperary goalkeeping legend takes his first official step as manager when he takes the under 20’s to Tralee for the first round of the Munster Championship this evening (Wednesday).

When John Devane stepped down as under 20 manager last year, it was Cummins who approached Tipperary County Board officials to make it known his interest in taking up the role and since his appointment, has left no stone unturned in putting a panel together.

“The initial thought of myself and the management team was to give everyone who wanted a go a go of it and we have done that,” he said with a 36-man panel put together with over twenty challenge games having been played in recent months.

“It was an open door that if you felt you had something to offer you come in and get an opportunity and I would like to think over the course of the last four months we have given every player a fair crack of the whip. The days of bringing players in for one trial are gone.”

He add: “It seems a long time since we started out the first week in January, it is after flying to now, to getting to where we are and heading to Tralee on Wednesday.

“We just hope we have enough work done to get over Kerry and look on from there, but we will be taking the usual focus of one game at a time.”

Cummins is getting involved in Tipperary at a time when there is a lot of pessimism in the county as regards the quality of underage player being brought through, in comparison to Munster rivals Cork, Limerick, and Waterford. With that comes pressure but it is something Cummins understands.

“When you are managing any team in Tipperary there is always pressure,” he continued.

“I have seen pressure when I was playing for Tipperary, and I have seen a lot of managers when I was there with Tipperary. You would always say to yourself at the time that I would done this better or that better and now the spotlight in on me and you have to go with your gut instinct.

“It has been exciting; it has been good. I can’t say there have been any negatives. The players have been fully committed. I have a great support structure around me with Fintan (O’Connor), Martin (Maher) and Shane (Stapleton), and we just hope we have prepared well for the lads for Wednesday night and the challenge that is going to come.”

Tipperary start off against a Kerry side well familiar to Cummins and his coach Fintan O’Connor who played key roles in the progression of hurling in the Kingdom in the last five years which sees them within touching distance of playing division 1 and Liam MacCarthy Cup hurling.

“We didn’t need to see Kerry beating Tipperary in senior hurling this year to know that Kerry hurling has been coming and there is an awful lot of work going on there,” Cummins added.

“I was down there for four years under Fintan who was down there for five, so we have seen the kind of work that has been done down there.

“Ger McCarthy is a fantastic liaison officer for Kerry and if you cut him open hurling balls would fall out of him rather than footballs. He is the driving force, so I know when we go to Tralee on Wednesday, they will be fired up for this.

“I was involved with a Kerry under 20 team who took Cork into the last ten minutes, and then the Tipperary minors played Kerry in recent years it was the same way, and we are not expecting anything different.

“They will be well prepared and will certainly want to be putting their best foot forward.”

The Under 20 Championship this year guarantees all Munster counties two games with Tipperary following with a home game against Waterford on Wednesday week, with the top two from the mini group progressing to the semi-finals, and provided Tipperary aren’t upset by Kerry, they should be hurling up to the end of the month at least.

“The championship is set up lovely,” Cummins said.

“Obviously some counties have senior players involved in under 20 and will have one eye on them being unavailable if they play on their senior teams so the fact it is condensed gives them the opportunity to play as many in their own age group as possible. Hopefully we’ll get further into it to worry about all that but for the time being it’s all about Kerry.”

The Tipperary team to face Kerry was named on Monday night with midfielder John Campion named as captain. The panel contains twelve survivors from last years panel including nine who featured in their exit to Cork in the Munster semi-final.

Tipperary team v Kerry: Jason O’Dwyer (Clonoulty/Rossmore); Conor O’Dwyer (Cashel King Cormacs), Ciaran Lloyd (Moyne-Templetuohy), Luke Shanahan (Upperchurch/Drombane); Cathal Quinn (Cashel King Cormacs), James Armstrong (Thurles Sarsfields), Michael Corcoran (Silvermines), John Campion (Drom & Inch) Capt, Darragh Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields); Ed Connolly (Loughmore/Castleiney), Eddie Ryan (Borris-Ileigh), Shane Gleeson (Kiladangan); Jack Leamy (Golden-Kilfeacle), Peter McGarry (St Mary’s), Paddy Creedon (Thurles Sarsfields)

SUBS: Paidi Williams (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Conor Cadell (JK Brackens), Tony Cahill (Drom & Inch), Joe Caesar (Holycross/Ballycahill), Sean Kenneally (Moneygall), Ciaran McCormack (Loughmore/Castleiney), Conor McKelvey (Silvermines), Conor O’Brien (Mullinahone), Kyle Shelly (Moycarkey/Borris)

OTHER PANELLISTS: Paudie Bradshaw (Eire Og Annacarty), Ben Currivan (Golden-Kilfeacle), Jamie Duncan (Knockavilla Kickhams), Stephen Ferncombe (Clonoulty/Rossmore), Colm Fogarty (Lorrha), Henry Fogarty (Thurles Sarsfields), Jock Fogarty (Thurles Sarsfields), Josh Keller (Nenagh Eire Og), James Morris (St Mary’s), Paul Nolan (Sean Treacys), Martin Paul O’Dwyer (Boherlahan-Dualla), Conor Ryan (Borrisokane).