Cahill pleased with resilience shown against Clare

By Shane Brophy

Tipperary manager Liam Cahill couldn’t downplay his pleasure after his sides come from behind win over Clare on Saturday night to go into the league final on a high.

“Delighted to win the match,” he began.

“The game was very much of a stop/start variety in the first half, it really struggled to get into a flow with the number of frees for both sides.

“It really came to life at the start of the second half where we conceded a goal and a couple of points which left us with a lot of work to do but the real encouragement from this evening was the resilience of our team, the way they stuck at the task of chipping away at that Clare lead.

“The workrate was phenomenal throughout the field, the impact off the bench was superb, and really shows the togetherness of this group and what they are trying to achieve in creating their own identity here in Thurles.

“I am really happy with the way they stuck to the task and really happy to get the result in the end.”

While there was nothing at stake for both Tipperary or Clare in the match with their league fates having already been determined, there was still a lot to be gleaned from such a game according to the Tipperary manager.

“Tonight was all about a performance and consistency, that was the priority,” Cahill said.

“We take it game by game and tonight was very important to us.

“It’s here in Thurles. I’m thrilled with the big Tipp support and every time Tipp supporters come, they need to look in at a team fighting for everything that’s on offer.

“Tonight, we showed that and definitely the supporters responded so it’s really encouraging from all aspects.”

He added: “It is really important for these fellas to play for Tipperary, this has to be first and foremost.

“Nobody knows where this year will go for us but the willingness to learn and improve from within the group is incredible.

“It is a really exciting place to be at the moment. It is a real joy to work with these players and the way they are applying themselves is a credit to themselves, their clubs, and their parishes.”

In terms of the late turnaround, it ignited ten minutes into the second half when Cahill made a triple substitution with Bryan O’Mara, Gearoid O’Connor and match-winner Darragh Stakelum all making marked impacts.

“That’s the quality that we’re building within this squad and the real togetherness of this group is very important to all of us,” Cahill said.

“I’m really encouraged with that resilience towards the end to get the result.

“There were a number of changes for tonight’s game but that was all to do with players getting the opportunity to put their hand up because they warrant it, and they deserve it.”