Green Shoots for Tipp teams

By Shane Brophy

Storm Eowyn may have blown a lot of things off course last weekend, but the Tipperary senior hurlers and footballers enjoyed positive starts to their respective National League campaigns.

The pressure was on for senior hurling manager Liam Cahill and first time senior football counterpart Philly Ryan, but both negotiated their sides to unbeaten starts away from home to give their squads and welcome early season shot of momentum.

Hurling

The Tipperary senior hurlers trip to Galway was far from a given beforehand with four players handed their National League debuts, and added to that were the difficult conditions in Salthill and a very difficult playing surface, but they negotiated it comfortably with a 3-25 to 2-16 win, only the concession of two sloppy late goals taking the gloss off the performance.

“It is encouraging,” admitted manager Liam Cahill in the aftermath, who again pleaded for patience and backing from the supporters in terms of the development this group have to undertake.

“It's really, really important that these players are coming through and are getting the opportunity, as I said, myself and the management team and the county board, everyone that's aligned in this, know the direction we want to go.

“I can't be sure what pace it's going to move at, but I know what direction it wants to go and it's a time now for big leadership in Tipperary and bravery as management and coaches and players and county board. That's what has to be shown and I think we have the players to really look to the future and today was a good starting point.

He added: “I think the knowledgeable people that know the hurling landscape in Tipperary and know what's going on will understand that.

“We will meet bumps in the road that will create difficulty but it's about patience now as well and I know that's not going to cut much slack with the impatient, less knowledgeable Tipperary hurling folk that are out there. but as I said, I'm very, very clear on where this needs to go and today is just the start of it really.”

Tipperary will hope to build on the round 1 win when they welcome Wexford to FBD Semple Stadium on Sunday for a 3.45pm throw-in, and with the game not being shown on television, a good crowd will be expected, although just the Old Stand will be open, at the moment.

Gaelic Football

On Saturday evening, in their first real hit out under Philly Ryan, the Tipperary senior footballers recovered from a seven point deficit at one stage to earn a valuable draw against Carlow.

“We hadn’t played challenge games. We were not sure of the new rules. We had a lot of new fellows playing. We are happy.

We wanted to come away with this game with something either a draw or a win.

We didn’t want to lose it and I think the players showed that resolve in the second half,” said the new Tipperary manager who will hope home comfort will lead to a first victory when they welcome Longford to Clonmel Sportsfield in round 2 next Saturday afternoon.

Full reports and reaction from both games on pages 73, 76-79