Turning the Page
IN ALL FAIRNESS
When it comes to sport in Tipperary, nothing gets the passion going more than the fortunes of the senior hurlers. The supporters will back you to the hilt when things are going well but they aren’t quick letting you know about it when they aren’t. Much like football is in Kerry, hurling is a religion here, and poor results and sub-standard performances aren’t tolerated.
That is what made last year so demoralising, as supporters can accept defeat, but only if the players have given the best of themselves, and bar the backs-to-the-wall performance against Waterford in Walsh Park in the Munster Championship, we saw very little of the grit and determination needed.
This was one aspect Tipperary manager Liam Cahill pointed to in his radio interview before Christmas, to make the team one that the supporters will be proud to follow in large numbers once again. That has to be the baseline going forward, and there will be set-backs to come, but as a starting point, last Sunday’s win over Galway was welcome.
Liam Cahill bleeds blue and gold and no one wants Tipperary to show the best of themselves than he. It is in this respect what makes his post-match comments so interesting, particularly the reference to “knowledgeable” and “unknowledgeable” element of the support.
Thhere is a small element of the Tipp support out there that want him to fail. They feel he isn’t the right man to turn Tipp’s fortunes around, but these are the same people that were unanimously behind his appointment as manager in 2022. Expectation was high following his arrival, particularly following the underage success he enjoyed, with many of the players he now has on the senior panel. Some supporters might have expected the transition to be seamless and the team would develop quickly, and despite the disappointing conclusion to the 2023 campaign with the All-Ireland quarter final defeat, overall, the season was a positive.
The hope was it would have been built on last year, but it wasn’t to be for various reasons. On reflection, it looked as if Tipp got their preparations wrong, particularly athletically, unable to get to the pitch of modern inter-county game, which is centred on pace and power.
From what we have seen so far in challenge games and against Galway, the players look a lot leaner and much nimbler on the feet. There is no doubt that Tipperary will still give away physically to the more dominant teams such as Clare, Cork, Limerick, and Kilkenny, but with this base, and the undoubted hurling ability, Tipp should be more competitive and be able to go to the seventieth minute and beyond in every game this year.
Regardless of the feelings of the “knowledgeable” and “unknowledgeable” supporters, the players are the ones that have the ultimate bearing on how successful the team will be. What we now know from the end of the last campaign is Liam Cahill has the full backing of the players. No player walked off the panel because of disillusionment. Patrick Maher and Dan McCormack retired after sterling service, Barry Heffernan and Mark Kehoe opted to take some time away, but there was no falling out, while the dropping of Cathal Barrett was a managerial decision, but also a hint at the direction they were going to take.
That Noel McGrath committed for a sixteenth season, and the likes of Ronan Maher, Michael Breen, Jason Forde, and Seamus Kennedy, who have two All-Ireland medals already on their medals board, remained on is an indication of the confidence they have in this management that they are the right men at the helm.
Angelo Walsh being on board for a second successive year as strength & conditioning coach is huge in terms of physical development as there has been too much chopping and changing in that role in recent years. Although some supporters might not like it, having David Herity taking a more hands-on role in terms of coaching is also welcome. He is a former All-Ireland winning goalkeeper with Kilkenny who brings with him an understanding of what excellence is, as well as a steeliness which was the standout characteristic of all Brian Cody teams, and remains under new manager Derek Lyng, even if they haven’t the same level of success to show for it. However, Kilkenny haven’t suffered the wildly inconsistent ups and downs that Tipperary have endured over the years and any nugget that the players can learn from him, can only be a good thing.
As with any team that goes on to achieve success, it has to start somewhere, and it is only in hindsight do we know when that is. Maybe last Sunday was it for Tipp, and if it is, there’ll be plenty of good days ahead.