Surviving semi-final battle will improve Tipperary hurlers, says Jake Morris

To the outside world, Tipperary may have arrived in the All-Ireland Hurling Final under the radar.

However, within the group their qualification for the hurling showpiece of the year has come as no great surprise, according to star forward and vice captain Jake Morris.

“We have full belief in our group and our management team,” he says.

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“We know we have really top hurlers, and with the Under 20s winning this year’s All-Ireland title, and the minors winning last year’s All-Ireland, there are serious hurlers in the county.

“It’s just really about getting the hard work done in the winter months and coming in under the radar and taking it game by game through the league, and picking up a bit of momentum. It’s really important what a few wins can do for a team, and the morale of the whole county.

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“The support at the semi-final against Kilkenny was absolutely phenomenal. Coming up along in the bus we knew we had massive support, three or four to one, I’d say, easily, and that definitely inspired us in the last 12 minutes.”

The Nenagh Eire Óg player says that the team will take inspiration from the manner in which they defeated the Leinster champions.

“It was just really, really sweet and it will bring the group on a massive amount, I think, for the final, being able to get through a battle like that with 14 men. It was really satisfying, and that’s down to the hard work that the group has put in all year long, and how honest the group is.

“We’ve been doing that all year, even when we went down to 14 players in Cork (in the Munster championship) we stayed trying, we stayed playing to the final whistle.

"That was something we’ve been really conscious of from the start of the year. No matter how the game is going, even if it was going against us, we just stay hurling to the final whistle. It’s a good trait for the group to have.”