Last year's All-Ireland minor final success inspired Tipperary senior hurlers

Above: Jake Morris has his jersey pulled by Cork’s Robert Downey in this year’s Allianz National League final at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. On the right is Cork’s Niall O’Leary. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile 

When asked to pinpoint moments throughout the campaign that were turning points for the Tipperary hurlers in their march to Sunday's All-Ireland final, vice captain Jake Morris says: “We had a good league as a group. We really went after what we wanted to go after and got a good lot of fitness in.

“But I suppose you have to look at the Limerick game in round one, you’re getting a point there and it was really important to get a point on the board early. And being able to go toe to toe with Limerick was a good starting point for us. The way we responded down in Cork with 14 players was a really tough task.

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“And then going to Ennis and knocking the All-Ireland champions out on their own patch, the belief really came up within the county after that game”.

Did last year’s minor All-Ireland Final win, when Tipperary beat Kilkenny in Nowlan Park despite going down to 13 players, inspire them, and say this is the very least we have to do?

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“Last year was a sobering day for us being down in Nowlan Park watching the fight and the spirit in that Tipperary team. That was something that was referenced in our group, that we want the leadership to come from the top down, rather than having 16-17-year-olds showing us the way and how Tipperary should be hurling”.

26-year-old Morris is enjoying his role as vice captain of the team.

“Over the years the good captains I have played under, Padraic (Maher), Brendan (Maher), Seamie (Callanan), Noel (McGrath), Ronan (Maher), none of them are really banging their hurleys off the table in the dressing room.

“They just lead by their hurling and their actions, and the vice captain is a huge honour of course. Liam (Cahill) put a lot of faith in me and I’ve worked with him for a long time as well.

“We still have Noel (McGrath), Seamus Kennedy and these fellows in the dressing room. It’s not a massive onus, I suppose you’re just conscious of showing good leadership on the field”.

When asked how this year compares to their last final appearance in 2019, he says: “It’s a different group, a different crop, and for me in 2019 I was on the periphery, coming on, learning my trade. Now on this team I’m playing with a lot of lads I came up along with, who I played Under 20 and minor with, so it feels that bit nicer, especially being part of the leadership group of the team as well. It’s that bit sweeter”.

Since making his senior debut in 2018, has this been his best season yet in the blue and gold, having scored 26 points and emerged as a key player?

“It probably has been. It has been my most consistent season. We had a couple of tough years, and I did as well in particular, but it’s probably helping the way the team are performing, it’s not really focused on any individual. There’s a really good collective with different lads chipping in.

“Andy Ormond didn’t score in the semi-final but he was serious, he won the world of frees near the end of the game, so everyone is chipping in and doing their own bit.

“I have a job to do as well and I’m just trying to do my best every time I put on the jersey”.