Tipperary hurlers will be hoping to hit the ground running in opening league game

Twin topics this week focus on upcoming events. Laois visit the Stadium this evening, Saturday, for the National League launch; another trip to Tom Semple’s patch then on Sunday for that juicy Harty final.

A league opener against Laois would normally be an unremarkable event but circumstances here deem it otherwise. This is effectively a new beginning for Liam Cahill, his management and players, as they try to kick-start the new season and with it, we’d hope, a new era.

We’re at that juncture in Tipperary hurling where the old order is over and the new one not yet established. For Cahill it’s very much a find-and-fix mission as he seeks out new material to supplement the skeletal remains of the side that gave us so much cheer for over a decade.

It won’t be easy. I guess evidence of progress will be the main demand from followers. A decent league run is required and then a competitive input to the Munster round robin series, where a top three finish would be really exciting. No pressure then, Liam!

Given where this team is coming from, an opening league bout at home to Laois is an ideal kick-off. Our past record versus Queen’s County is one-sided: played 36, won 27, lost 6 and drew 3. The last defeat was way back in 1986 at the Stadium where an eight-point margin was the largest defeat Laois ever inflicted on Tipperary in a league encounter.

The corresponding fixture last year was played on a miserable evening in O’Moore Park where Tipperary stumbled to victory. It was indicative of where our season was heading, so a contrasting impression this Saturday would be welcome.

An interesting sidebar to the match is the fact that Liam Cahill’s former clubmate, Willie Maher, manages Laois and has Waterford’s Dan Shanahan on his backroom team. That Ballingarry connection might just add a touch of spice to the sideline.

The Munster League served a purpose for the Tipperary management. Over thirty players got game time during the three outings. Impressions were mixed. The attitude was certainly positive, the workrate and commitment couldn’t be faulted, though we still ended with two defeats from three games.

The nature of the loss to Cork in the final was, perhaps, the most irritating aspect of the series. There was a carelessness to the way we let things slip down the home straight. It was a missed opportunity on several fronts.

There will be more than usual interest in the lineout the management sends into action on Saturday. Given the requirements of this game and the necessity to deliver an early statement, I’d expect to see a strong team take the field.

One suspects the goalkeeping duties will be shared out during the league between Rhys Shelly and Barry Hogan. The Kiladangan man has the edge on experience, though it’s probably still an open issue, subject to changing impressions as the league unfolds.

The full back line is an uncertain area. The indication appears to be that the Michael Breen experiment at number three will continue for the moment – for how long we’ll have to wait and see. Conor McCarthy started well against Cork but pulled a hamstring and he may not be fully recovered for Saturday.

There’s no shortage of options at half back where the formation against Cork – Enda Heffernan, Podge Campion and Brian McGrath – did well. Bryan O’Mara and Ronan Maher can be added to the mix and, perhaps, Seamus Kennedy if the half forward experiment is over. Gavin Ryan is also a defensive panellist.

The midfield of Dan McCormack and Conor Stakelum worked well against Cork. Neither is a flashy player but you’ll always get full value from both.

The attack was good on effort the last day, though the scoring returns relied overmuch on Jason Forde. When you factor in players like Jake Morris, Mark Kehoe and the McGraths, I suspect you’ll get a mix of the older and newer elements in this department on Saturday.

Our general league record in latter times is poor. We share the lead with Kilkenny on 19 titles, though our neighbours have added six since our last hurrah in 2008. In that same era, we lost five finals, four to Kilkenny. Those are cringeworthy stats.

Anyway, here’s hoping for a bright start to the new series. Defeat is unthinkable but the quality of the display will be watched as closely as any score line. If players can’t make an impression against Laois, then what hope the following week when we travel to Nowlan Park?

Meanwhile, the Harty Cup is the hot topic locally as Cashel Community School and Thurles CBS warm up for Sunday’s first-ever, all-Tipperary showdown. Local and divided loyalties abound in this intriguing prospect, as Thurles chase their ninth title and Cashel their first.

The geographic closeness of the schools makes for a fascinating final. As an illustration Thurles goalie, Eoin Horgan, will face-off against his Kickhams clubmates, Shane Buckley and Adam Daly.

All three were part of the county minor panel last summer as indeed were several others from the two teams. I think there’s about ten of that Tipperary panel in action on Sunday. It illustrates how these things don’t happen in isolation; if the game is thriving in one zone it seeps into another.

All of which casts a favourable light on teenage talent in the county at the moment. When you consider that Our Lady’s Templemore were very close to making the Harty semi-finals also, then you get a very favourable impression of Tipperary hurling at this level. Let’s hope the developmental structures are as good as the talent available.

It’s amazing how the history of the Harty Cup has evolved over the decades. Back in the seventies it was heavily Cork-centric. Some of us grew up at a time when Cork were simply hurling’s best at all levels. How the world has changed. In the seventies Cork schools won seven out of ten Hartys; sine 2010 they’ve managed just one.

From a Tipperary perspective the history of the Harty is instructive also. After the Abbey CBS won in 1959, the next 50 years saw just a single Harty title come to the county – Templemore CBS in 1978 – after which Thurles CBS nipped in for an overdue title in 2009. I guess the demise of boarding schools has levelled the Harty playing field in recent times.

Anyway, back to Sunday’s final and the buzz it’s generating. Cashel certainly had the rougher passage to the final. Their semi-final with Ardscoil Ris was a ferocious battle, one that in truth could have leaned either way. Cashel’s durability and sheer resolve to stay the distance just about got them over the line at the end when Adam Daly was the hero.

By contrast Thurles had a more stress-free experience against Midleton CBS. They had problems early on, it seems, until full forward Jimmy Lahart grabbed a pair of rapid-fire goals, which tilted the scales and signposted the day’s fate. They really drove home advantage then in the second half to win by sixteen points in the end. Their full forward trio between them hit 3-9, which is serious shooting.

I wouldn’t underestimate Cashel, though. Jack Quinlan and Ger O’Dwyer are the defensive anchors – and very sturdy ones at that; Ronan Connolly and Shane Buckley provide a solid midfield shape; Ben Currivan and Adam Daly lead the offence.

Thurles will be favourites but so much can depend on fate and form on the day. Interestingly, both teams will progress to the All-Ireland series irrespective of the outcome on Sunday. That’s important, as past experience shows. Last year St. Joseph’s, Tulla, won the Harty but Ardscoil Rís rebounded to take All-Ireland honours. In 2012 Nenagh CBS did similar, losing the Harty to Colaiste na nDeise and bouncing back to beat Kilkenny CBS in the national final.

That was the year of Jason Forde, whose incredible exploits with Nenagh earmarked him as a future Tipp star. It will be interesting to see, in time, how many of Sunday’s teams graduate to Tipperary prominence. I’ll be surprised if there aren’t quite a few.

It will be fascinating then to see who emerges. Having attended Thurles CBS as a First Year and then Cashel CBS for the remaining four of secondary education, I could claim to have a foot in both camps. My affinity, however, will be unapologetically with Cashel on this one.

Here’s hoping for a great game. Tipperary will be a winner either way.