Managerial masterclass rewarded with Annerville award for Tipperary manager Liam Cahill

It's fair to say that Liam Cahill was a manager in the spotlight at the beginning of 2025, as Tipperary’s senior hurlers prepared for another campaign after an underwhelming 2024.

In his third season in charge the Ballingarry man responded magnificently to the pressure, completing a managerial masterclass as Tipperary confounded most of the critics as they ended the year as All-Ireland champions for the 29th time.

The achievement has earned Liam Cahill the Sean Lyons Sports Executive Award in the annual Annerville sports awards, sponsored by Bulmers.

The National League offered glimpses of green shoots of recovery as Tipp reached the final, only to be beaten by Cork.

Of course the championship presented the real challenge, as Tipp opened their provincial campaign with a draw against Limerick followed by another setback against Cork.  

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However, the team reacted in the best possible fashion when they faced another early exit from the championship. With some astute tweaks to the team, Liam Cahill and his charges defeated All-Ireland champions Clare in their own backyard in Ennis, before ensuring qualification from Munster by beating Waterford.

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From there it was onto the All-Ireland series. Victories over Laois and Galway put Tipp through to the All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny, where they snatched a sensational victory courtesy of Oisín O’Donoghue’s late wonder goal.

However, the icing on the cake was yet to be applied for Liam Cahill and his team, when they came from six points down to beat hot favourites Cork in the final, and secure one of the county’s most memorable All-Ireland successes in recent times.

The Tipperary United Sports Panel will present the county's amateur sports stars of the year with the Annerville awards at a function at the Talbot Hotel in Clonmel on Saturday night, January 10.

Tickets for the event are available from Sports Panel treasurer Ken Conway, email conwayken@eircom.net