Tipperary are looking forward, not back!

By Shane Brophy

There is something in the psyche of the modern sportsperson that they can shake off poor form pretty quickly.

The Tipperary senior hurlers are an example of that after recording their third win from four in the National Hurling League on Saturday night by taking down old rivals Cork at FBD Semple Stadium.

Coming into the campaign off the back of a disastrous conclusion to 2024, expectation levels were low in the county, and facing into a new league format with games against six of the best teams in the country, there were no gimme wins to generate some confidence.

However, with Galway, Wexford and Cork now accounted for, barring a strange set of results in the final three rounds of games, Tipperary should already have assured their place in the top tier for next season which was a priority according to manager Liam Cahill.

“That's vitally important because there'll be other players that need that quality of hurling to develop them properly so that's secured,” Cahill explained.

“Now we have a task in two weeks' time to go to a really difficult assignment in Nowlan Park against our near neighbours Kilkenny and that will give us a chance as well to possibly put ourselves into a real opportunity of getting to a League final.”

In front of just under 12,000 people and a vocal home support, the manner of the performance, not complete in any sense, but the workrate and application were top notch which will resonate with the supporters, with the players also enjoying their hurling once again with the confidence from each win and positive performance.

“It is a space of everyone working together to have that environment that people want to come to and enjoy their training and enjoy the challenges that are coming around the opposition of what they'll present,” Cahill revealed.

“The challenge of redeeming our identity as a group of players and ourselves as a management team that we are fully committed to this thing, and we really want to portray that out onto the field every day we play.

“We are looking really to the future now. The future is in our hands, it is my hands with this group of young players, albeit with a number of more senior players there as well to support them.

“The future is in our hands and every day we will be looking to the future of Tipperary hurling. That is where we are going.

“We are not looking back anymore. We are fully committed to looking forward, learning every day we go out and improving every day we got out.”

Round 5 of the league takes place this weekend which is Tipperary’s bye round before returning to action against Kilkenny on Sunday week.

Read more on pages 70 & 71.