Stable look to Tipp Hurling panel with plenty of new blood infused

Barry Heffernan is the highest profile player not retained on the Tipperary senior hurling training panel that was announced last weekend as collective training started for the 2025 campaign.

By Shane Brophy

The two-time All-Ireland winning defender featured only twice in the last campaign as he made his way back from a knee injury sustained in the summer of 2022. He started against Westmeath in the National League and also in the final championship match against Clare.

On top of the retirements of Patrick Maher and Dan McCormack, and with the departure of Cathal Barrett already revealed, it further erodes the experience level within the defence with Ronan Maher and Seamus Kennedy now the only surviving defenders from the 2019 All-Ireland success.

Mark Kehoe is another notable name not included but it is believed the Kilsheelan/Kilcash clubman intends on travelling next year, while Robert Byrne who didn’t feature at all in the championship last year, despite playing the majority of the league games, has also departed, as has Paddy Cadell who has struggled to bring his underage and club form to senior inter-county level.

Committed

Of those who will be there, Noel McGrath has committed to a sixteenth season at senior level with his brothers Brian & John also retained, while Seamus Kennedy has also been included as he returns from a knee ligament injury sustained last March.

There are sixteen new faces in the squad, including Toomevara’s Darragh McCarthy who was on the senior panel last year to learn the ropes, but didn’t feature on a matchday panel.

McCarthy is one of three Under 20 panellists along with Oisin O’Donoghue and Aaron O’Halloran. However, with the under 20 championship games to be played on Wednesdays instead of Friday’s, the sixty-hour rule won’t apply whereby players can play under 20 and senior games in the same seven-day period.

Following the retirement of Dan McCormack, the McCormack family will still be represented in the form of younger brother Ray who has been called up for the first time with the Borris-Ileigh clubman having won an All-Ireland Under 20 medal in 2019.

Club form has also led to call-ups for defender Stephen Walsh and midfielder Kieran Cummins from Moycarkey/Borris, Gortnahoe/Glengoole defender David Nolan, while Holycross/Ballycahill’s Joe Caesar has also been included after an impressive year in which he won a Fitzgibbon Cup medal with Mary Immaculate College.

During last years campaign, Liam Cahill put in place a development panel with an eye on the future and from that Nenagh’s Josh Keller, Silvermines’ Michael Corcoran and Gavin O’Halloran of Carrick Swan have been promoted, the latter lining up along with his brother Aaron who is one of three players promoted from the U20 panel along with O’Donoghue and Conor Martin.

Peter McGarry and Jack Leamy who were trialled last year before being let go and went onto play with the senior footballers are being given another opportunity to earn a spot on the panel, as does Dylan Walsh after another stellar campaign with Ballingarry while Robert Doyle of Clonoulty/Rossmore can play both as a defender and as an abrasive attacker.

The 45-man training panel will be cut to 38 ahead of the start of the National League when Tipperary will begin away to Galway on Sunday, 26th January.

First Action

The first time the Tipperary hurlers will be in action in 2025 will come on Saturday, 4th January when they take on All-Ireland champions Clare in a benefit game in Templemore, in aid of Mary’s Meals, a charity tackling world hunger by setting up school feeding programmes in partnership with some of the world’s poorest communities.

A challenge match with Dublin has also been lined up.

Players In: Ray McCormack, Kieran Cummins, Stephen Walsh, Joe Caesar, David Nolan, Oisin O’Donoghue, Robert Doyle, Conor Martin, Jack Leamy, Aaron O’Halloran, Gavin O’Halloran, Peter McGarry, Dylan Walsh, Josh Keller, Michael Corcoran.

Players Out: Patrick Maher, Dan McCormack, Cathal Barrett, Robert Byrne, Mark Kehoe, Barry Heffernan, Enda Heffernan, John Campion, Cian O’Dwyer, Podge Campion, Paddy Cadell, David Kelly.

Tipperary Senior Hurling training panel

Johnny Ryan (Arravale Rovers)

Michael Breen (Ballina)

Dylan Walsh (Ballingarry)

Ray McCormack (Borris-Ileigh)

Conor Martin (Cappawhite)

Aaron O’Halloran, Gavin O’Halloran (Carrick Swan)

Eoghan Connolly, Oisin O’Donoghue, Cathal Quinn (Cashel King Cormacs)

Robert Doyle, Danny Slattery (Clonoulty/Rossmore)

Jack Leamy (Golden Kilfeacle)

David Nolan (Gortnahoe/Glengoole)

Joe Caesar, Bryan O’Mara (Holycross/Ballycahill)

Andrew Ormond (JK Brackens)

Willie Connors, Sean Hayes, Barry Hogan, Billy Seymour (Kiladangan)

Craig Morgan (Kilruane MacDonaghs)

Brian McGrath, John McGrath, Noel McGrath (Loughmore/Castleiney)

Joe Fogarty, Sean Kenneally (Moneygall)

Kieran Cummins, Rhys Shelly, Stephen Walsh (Moycarkey/Borris)

Conor Bowe, Gearoid O’Connor (Moyne-Templetuohy)

Josh Keller, Jake Morris, Sam O’Farrell (Nenagh Eire Og)

Alan Tynan (Roscrea)

Michael Corcoran, Jason Forde (Silvermines)

Seamus Kennedy, Peter McGarry (St Mary’s)

Sean Ryan (Templederry Kenyons)

Ronan Maher, Conor Stakelum, Darragh Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields)

Darragh McCarthy (Toomevara)

National Hurling League fixtures

Sunday 26th January: Galway v Tipperary - Pearse Stadium @ 3.45pm

Sunday 1st February: Tipperary v Wexford – FBD Semple Stadium @ 3.45pm

Sunday 9th February: Limerick v Tipperary – TUS Gaelic Grounds @ 3.45pm

Saturday 22nd February: Tipperary v Cork – FBD Semple Stadium @ 7.30pm (Double-Header)

Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd March: Bye

Sunday 9th March: Kilkenny v Tipperary - UPMC Nowlan Park @ 1.15pm

Saturday 22nd March: Tipperary v Clare - FBD Semple Stadium @ 7.30pm

Saturday 5th or Sunday 6th April: Final