LONG READ: Tipperary begin tough schedule of matches against Galway

The National Hurling League is an interesting entity. The competition is now celebrating its centenary. Cork won the inaugural event in 1925/26. It appears to have lapsed then the following year before Tipperary won the 1927/28 version. For most of its history it spanned the calendar years until the present format was introduced in 1997.

Traditionally, Tipperary has enjoyed a strong affinity with the league, though that perspective has shifted in recent decades. We still share top position in the roll of honour with 19 titles alongside Kilkenny, though our last victory was back in 2008. In our fallow years since then Kilkenny have collected six titles while we lost six finals in the same period, four of them to the Cats.

In the two decades spanning 1948 to 1968 Tipperary won a dozen league titles. It was a time when the county was regarded as the league specialists. John Doyle won 11 league medals in that era; it remains a national record.

More recently our relationship with the competition has faltered. Since John Doyle won his last league in 1965, we’ve averaged just a single title each decade. The teens was a barren decade, matched only by the 1930s. We now head into the second half of the twenties still chasing a 20th title.

Perhaps that doesn’t bother people unduly but it must be an item of some regret at least. After all, the league is the second biggest hurling competition after the championship and yet great Tipperary players who’ve won All-Irelands since 2008 are without league medals. It’s a lapse, surely.

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And yet, Liam Cahill and company, I suspect, won’t be focusing on the past league record as they prepare for the start of the new season this Saturday with the visit of Galway to Semple Stadium. Last year’s glory is well parked by now, with all eyes trained on upcoming events and how the side transitions to face new challenges.

Putting All-Irelands back-to-back for the first time since 1965 will be part of the narrative later on but let’s not forget that we haven’t followed an All-Ireland success with a league win either since John Doyle’s era. The history of the past six decades then is against the present team as they launch into the 2026 season.

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Last year’s league opener at Salthill was a significant one for the Tipperary team and management. 2024 was forgettable so a new order had to be established and that was certainly the case that day in Galway. New faces appeared with Michael Corcoran, Sam O’Farrell, Dylan Walsh, Darragh McCarthy, Robert Doyle and Conor Martin all making their league bows, whether as starters or replacements.

And there was a new energy to the side following some intense winter conditioning. It all proved too much for an inept Galway side who lost in the end by twelve points. It was the start Tipperary needed to the new season, though even the most optimistic followers could hardly have dreamed that day of what ultimately lay in store for the team in 2025.

This time the circumstances are entirely different. Tipperary go in as 1/2 favourites against 15/8 odds for Galway. We entered 2025 under the radar, whereas this time we’re very much under the spotlight. All-Ireland winners carry a target on their backs and one suspects Micheal Donoghue and his side won’t be as unprepared this time as they were twelve months ago.

The Tipperary team came through the pre-season challenges and Munster League undefeated, though the draw against Waterford in the league cost the side its place in the decider. Having to overturn a 38-point differential in the final game against Kerry was never likely, though the modest nature of the win in Tralee was still disappointing.

One suspects the team isn’t at the same level of preparedness as last year, which is understandable. Between prolonged celebrations, awards and the team holiday to South Africa, the return to the grindstone has been slower. How much catch-up is needed will only become apparent as the games unfold.

It’s a tough schedule of matches. We have home fixtures with Galway, Limerick and Kilkenny while the team will be away to Offaly, Cork and Waterford. There’s jeopardy at both ends of the table, with just the top two playing a final and the bottom pair being relegated. The first three weeks especially will be hectic before there are breaks between remaining fixtures.

Interestingly, there were no retirements after last year and with a significant influx of new players joining the panel for training it will be interesting to see what emerges. Team selection for Saturday should be indicative of who’s making an impact.

Our historic record against Galway is strong. We’ve played the Tribesmen on 76 occasions, winning 49, losing 21 and drawing six. Micheal Donoghue’s side is coming off a particularly poor 2025 season where we beat them in both league and championship, so they won’t wish for that trend to continue. I’d expect a feisty effort from them, so it should be a lively opening to the season.

Being away for the past few weeks meant I missed Upperchurch Drombane’s history-making achievement at Croke Park. We often bemoan the lack of success by Tipperary clubs in different grades, which makes this win all the more worthy of recognition. It was simply a phenomenal accomplishment by the Mid Tipperary club.

You think of the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins and his eulogy to the Windhover with the words ‘the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!’ Gushing praise for a bird, words that might as well apply to the heroes from Upperchurch and Drombane. From stumbling origins in the Tipperary championship, they somehow took flight and brooked no barrier on their ascent to the top.

It really is a remarkable story, one that will echo down the years long after these players stop playing. Some teams win because they’re simply superior to all opponents; others have to find inner strengths to heroically edge over the line. Such was the case with Upperchurch and Drombane.

You think of that day in September at Kilcommon when they were seconds away from championship exit before a late, late Gavin Ryan free finds the net. Or the county semi-final in Semple Stadium against Gortnahoe and Paddy Phelan hitting six points from play, including the winner. Or Ciaran Shortt’s penalty save against Danesfort at a critical juncture. Or Gavin Ryan’s leveller against Tooreen. So many key moments, where Upperchurch men stood tall to steer the ship home.

More than anything, Upperchurch developed an ability to ride out adversity and get through tight games. The injury to Paddy Phelan was a heavy blow but they remained undeterred and kept on script. Similarly, the loss of stalwart Paudie Greene against Danesfort, which might have ruffled them but didn’t. Against O’Callaghan’s Mills they might have lost composure too when their opponents lost their discipline but again, they kept focus.

They beat the best from Tipperary, Cork, Clare, Kilkenny and Mayo for an All-Ireland win that stands up to any metric of comparison. They had individual moments and men that stood out but ultimately it was the team dynamic that saw them through. They were balanced and cohesive and simply developed the winning knack. Congrats to all on a famous triumph, one that offers a fitting wrap-up to an unforgettable 2025 for Tipperary hurling.

Finally, at a time when the history of the Harty Cup has just been published, the old competition continues to enthral. Templederry was jammers for the Thurles/Nenagh derby semi-final at the weekend, when the North Tipperary school shaded an enthralling contest. St. Flannan’s await in the final, where Tipperary will be chasing an unprecedented four-in-a-row. It’s one to anticipate.