PREVIEW: Tipp minor hurlers prepare to defend their Munster and All Ireland titles

Munster Minor Hurling Championship - Round 1

Tipperary vs Clare, Tuesday March 21st @ 7.00pm in Shannon

The Tipperary minor hurlers are back in action next Tuesday, March 21 as they get ready to travel to Clare for the opening round of this year’s Munster Minor Hurling Championship.

James Woodlock returns to the helm for his third year in charge, and after a stellar 2022 campaign in which Munster and All-Ireland honours were secured, a new look panel will be to the fore in an attempt to retain the county’s honours.

Speaking about his new look panel, Woodlock said, “It is indeed, yes (a changed panel).

“The reality is that this is a new group of players because none of them has started in a championship Munster game.

“Only two or three players had snippets of minutes in last year’s games so it is essentially a whole new squad.

“We have some players who were involved with us last year but in terms of game time it is a whole new squad and that brings a new challenge with it. They’ve worked really hard since they’ve come back on the S and C side of things and the hurling side of things,” he said.

Much good work is being done behind the scenes to ensure a positive future for the Tipperary hurling team’s of the future, and Woodlock is certainly upbeat in his outlook with schools and underage hurling in the county competing strongly in recent years.

“I think we are going on an upward trajectory for sure.

“Obviously the two teams involved in the Harty Cup final and going on to challenge for the Croke Cup were excellent as well.

“We had five players I think off of those teams on our panel but at the same time that is huge experience for them and for Tipp hurling it is huge and it all points towards us going in the right direction.

“And in fairness to the GAA in Tipperary and Kevin Hally, they are doing a brilliant job because all the underage teams and development squads are working tirelessly hard, they have a good handle on all the players with good mentors over the teams from U14 upward.

“Last year we won the Tony Forristal, the Arrabawn Shield, and the Celtic Challenge and the Irish Press Cup in the same year. They are four huge trophies for underage hurling coming through in Tipperary.

“It’s all about the chain up along and I’m just a part of that in trying to develop players and that’s what it’s all about; trying to get players up to playing Tipp senior hurling.

“A huge element of it is developing players S and C wise because that’s nearly as important now as the hurling.

“We know we can produce really good hurlers in Tipp and now it’s about bringing the effort up after that, so that every time you turn up and walk away from a training session or a gym session you become a better player.

He continued; “The underage structures in Tipp are in a really good place now and we need that because we need to get back to challenging for honours at senior level and hopefully all these younger players will feed well into the senior team in the next few years.”

Clare will be the opposition in the championship opener next Tuesday, and after a couple of very close games against them last year - including a Munster final match which ended in Tipp victory after a pulsating penalty shootout - it will be just as difficult a task this time around as they have nearly half the starting team from last year’s panel eligible again this year.

“Everything I’m hearing they have maybe eight players left from the team which started most of their championship games last year which is a huge amount. To have experience like that coming into a Munster championship campaign is big for them,” Woodlock highlighted.

“But we’re really happy with where we’re at at the moment as well.

“Clare will probably be expected to be at the top of the pile in Munster starting out but championship always takes on a life of its own and our boys won’t be found wanting when the time comes."

Tipperary minor hurling panel 2023: Adam Ryan (Arravale Rovers); Ryne Bargary (Boherlahan Dualla); Michael Ryan (Burgess); Stefan Tobin (Carrick Swans); Oisin O'Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs); Cormac Cahill, Cormac Fitzpatrick, Conor Gleeson (Drom & Inch); Keith Loughnane, Killian Minogue (Durlas Óg); Ciaran Byrne (Golden Kilfeacle); Jack Lahart, Evan Morris, Robbie Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill); Jamie Ormond, Ciaran O'Shea, Sean Walsh (JK Brackens); Shane Buckley (Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams); Cian Moyles (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Darragh Linnane, Sam Rowan (Mullinahone); Eoghan Doughan, Cian Ryan (Moneygall); Jack Hayes, Killian Cantwell, David Costigan (Moycarkey Borris); Jake Houlihan (Nenagh Éire Óg); Harry Loughnane, Leigh Loughnane (Roscrea); Sean Nash (St Patricks); Aaron Cagney, Darragh Landers (St Marys); Colm Kennedy (Sean Treacys); Jake Hackett (Toomevara); Toby Corbett (Upperchurch Drombane).