Under 20’s require mindset shift for Cork challenge

GAA: oneills.com Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship

By Shane Brophy

Tipperary under 20 hurling manager Brendan Cummins admits his side need to play a little “angrier” if they are to get their campaign back on track when they travel to Cork this evening (Wednesday) for their second-round game in the Munster Championship.

There was a lot of disappointment last week following the sides defeat to Limerick as a team coming in with a lot of expectation with minor All-Ireland and Harty Cup winners failed to perform.

“We just didn’t get out of the blocks I suppose is the bottom line,” Cummins said of the defeat.

“Limerick got onto more of the breaks, they were able to get the better ball into their full forward line and that put us under pressure.

“I thought in the first half Halla (Aaron O’Halloran), Podge (O’Dwyer) and Jack Quinlan did really well. We tried to put more cover in there for them in the second half and tried to play a little bit deeper with our half forward line, and it got us back into the game to a certain extent but in reality, Limerick were that little bit better.”

Right from the off, Tipp played second fiddle in terms of application and intensity, and while there were fleeting periods they showed their best, it never developed into a consistent flow, not helped by sloppy first touch and ball handling, in comparison to Limerick who were sharp, and but for ten wides to Tipp’s three, could have won by a greater margin.

There were some mitigating circumstances for Tipperary in the fact their preparation hasn’t been ideal with five players who are primarily training with the seniors, although Darragh McCarthy was the sole player who took the fight to Limerick with four points from play out of his eleven-point haul. Conor Martin chipped in with two while Oisin O’Donoghue was ineffectual both at wing and full-forward. Captain Sam O’Farrell summed up Tipp’s frustration with a late sending off for a second bookable offence.

Also, the Thurles CBS contingent that won the Harty and Croke Cups this spring have only been with the panel full time in the week leading up to the game, with none of them starting. However, the Tipperary manager wasn’t using that as an excuse for the poor performance.

“There are no excuses here,” added Cummins.

“Those young men have played together in the past, have trained together here and there, so there is nothing only than we need to find that little bit of a spark again, and we’ll do that. I know the character that is in those young men.

“In hurling, sometimes it doesn’t go your way, but it is how you react is the next question and that is what is put up to us as a management team and the players as well. We’ll mind them and guide them through the next week or so, but we need to be a lot angrier when we go down to Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

He added: “There has been a lot of expectation on these guys shoulders over the last couple of months with the way the seniors have been going and the lads coming back in, so we just have to deal with it, it is a life experience for these young players.

“The question is now, what am I and my management team going to do to help them navigate their way through the next couple of days and get them ready to face Cork.

“We’ll do that, and we won’t be found wanting on that.”

2025 Tipperary Under 20 Hurling panel: Adam Ryan, David Ryan (Arravale Rovers); Chris O’Donnell (Ballylooby/Castlegrace); Dylan Fogarty (Boherlahan-Dualla); Tom Delaney, Paddy McCormack (Borris-Ileigh); Ciaran Foley (Borrisokane); Conor Martin (Cappawhite); Callum Lanigan, Aaron O’Halloran, Stefan Tobin (Carrick Swan); Oisin O’Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs); Sam Rowan (CJ Kickhams Mullinahone); Cormac Fitzpatrick (Drom & Inch); Jack Quinlan (Fethard); Cathal English, Daire English (Father Sheehy’s); Damien Corbett (Gortnahoe/Glengoole); Evan Morris, Cathal O’Reilly, Jim Ryan, Robbie Ryan, Tiarnan Ryan (Holycross/Ballycahill); Jamie Ormond (JK Brackens); Podge O’Dwyer (Killenaule); Senan Butler (Kilsheelan/Kilcash); Adam Daly, Eoin Horgan (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams); Eoghan Doughan, Andy Hoolan (Moneygall); David Costigan, Joe Egan, Jack Hayes (Moycarkey/Borris); Mason Cawley, Jake Donelan-Houlihan, Sam O’Farrell - Captain (Nenagh Eire Og); Jack O’Callaghan (Portroe); Cillian Minogue (Thurles Sarsfields); Jake Hackett, Darragh McCarthy (Toomevara); Paddy Phelan (Upperchurch/Drombane).