Kelly steps away but urges county to focus on Strength & Conditioning
By Stephen Barry
Paul Kelly hailed his players’ effort but rued an inhibited performance as he stepped down as Tipperary senior football manager after one season in the role.
The Dublin native informed the panel of his decision in the dressing room after losing to Limerick in the Tailteann Cup on Saturday in Rathkeale.
Kelly was appointed on a three-year term last November but was hampered by players dropping out ahead of the campaign and by big-name injuries during it.
They were well-beaten for a finish, although he pinpointed their failure to establish a first-half lead as a fatal flaw.
“The first half cost us. Playing with the wind, we didn’t express ourselves enough in a go-forward way,” he said.
“Limerick dropped off, as you’d expect, taking that breeze into consideration and I felt we could’ve given more energy going forward, breaking ball, breaking off of players, etc.
“We tended to leave one to two chaps isolated on the ball and kick it long. That was going to be a difficulty for us.
“In fairness to Paudie (Feehan), he got a great goal but in that first half, we needed to be three or four points ahead. We played within ourselves from that point of view. The first half was the bigger issue for us.”
James Morris was an early loss and Kelly hopes the talented dual star’s injury “around the knee area” doesn’t prove too serious. He also referred to the absence of Steven O’Brien from the published team to compound the injuries which ruled out Conor Sweeney, Colm O’Shaughnessy, and Cathal Deely.
“In a small panel, they’re game-changers. Against the power and athleticism of Limerick, you need those big players. They were fully stacked there and unfortunately, that’s the way it is. That’s sport for you and that’s the week-on-week attrition.”
Reflecting on his tenure, Kelly suggested the development of a strength and conditioning strategy would be vital to Tipp’s future progress.
“S&C and athletic performance is not built on six or nine months. It’s built on twelve months of the year, so to speak. Maybe there’s a bit to go there.
“You could see the benefit of Adrian (O’Brien)’s work with Limerick over the years on the flipside. S&C is an area where more needs to be done on a continuous basis.
“The development of a strategy would be quite important going forward from a club football perspective because club is where it all starts.
“That strategy, aligned properly, brings forward the right type of player and the right build of player, rather than trying to fix it after.”
A League win over Longford and Tailteann Cup revenge against Wexford were rare highlights as Kelly lauded his panel for their commitment to the Tipperary cause all year.
“It’s not as glamorous as playing the other code but from the start of when we came in until now, those lads have put in anything you’ve asked them to do.
“I’ve the height of regard and the height of respect for what they’re willing to do for their county. Hopefully they can get a bit more backing going forward.”