'We have to stay working hard now to close that gap' says Liam Cahill after Limerick defeat

Tipperary supporters were disappointed at losing but upbeat that the team had competed against a determined Limerick side  and the mixed emotions described how the manager felt as well.

“Disappointed, obviously, not to win the match,” Cahill admitted afterwards by the dressing room tunnel, but he quickly pivoted to the brighter side of the game. 

“In general, it was a good performance to build on. We’re all trying to put these building blocks in place to get a really good competitive squad ready for the championship.”

 After the match, manager Liam Cahill focused on the performance, emphasising both the positives and the areas needing improvement.

Cahill expressed pride in the younger players who stepped up, particularly noting the performances of Robert Doyle, Darragh McCarthy, and Darragh Stakelum.

 “Today was a brilliant day for a lot of our younger members. It was a big step up in class, and I’m really delighted with the way those players performed,” he said, highlighting their potential to grow within the team.

The fall out in the second half was again cause for concern with scores from play hard to come by in the second half at times “As I said last year, our concern was that we weren't seeing out matches but today we showed good resilience, good levels of fitness to stay in the fight right up until the end. 

“I suppose our hurling today at times was probably not as sharp as Limerick's to be fair. 

“I think Limerick had a very, very high conversion rate today. 

“I don't know, they had maybe five or six wides in the whole game but I think we were well into double digits so that would be an area that we'd have to go after now during the week. 

“But again, Limerick, their big players hurt us - Cian Lynch obviously pulling the strings at midfield and that is what good teams do. 

“We have to stay working hard now to close that gap," the Ballingarry native said. 

Regarding his own players he said that his own team is now taking shape with Eoghan Connolly at full back, Ronan Maher at six and Jake Morris at centre forward: “The likes of Jake and Ronan are to the forefront of what we are about but the 'bolt' is now about the Seanie Kennelly's, the Darragh McCarthy's and the Robert Doyle's and one or two others that played in round one or two. 

“We really have to give them exposure now to a really formidable Cork team that will come to Thurles in two weeks time and we will learn a lot more about our squad again but as I said I am very happy with where they are.

“The boys are all in great form, they're giving me everything and everybody is working really, really hard. The players in particular, the management, coaches and the county board - we are all fully aligned on where we're going. 

“I think to be fair in the first block of this league, there have been some green shoots. 

“We just have to continue letting them blossom now as we head into the rest of the league."

Looking ahead, he expressed confidence in the squad's potential. “We have plenty of options... but it’s important to get that exposure into these players without ripping up the script too much,” he explained. 

He acknowledged the upcoming challenges, with formidable teams like Cork and Kilkenny on the horizon. “Whatever we learn today, I guarantee you, we’ll learn a lot more before this league is out,” he concluded as thoughts move towards the clash with Cork in Thurles on Saturday week.