Tipperary hurlers were substituted in win over Dublin as a precaution

Having shuffled the pack in defence, with Bryan O’Mara coming in at full back and Michael Breen going out to wing back, Tipperary manager Liam Cahill said he was very pleased with how both players had performed in the win over Dublin at Croke Park in last Saturday's national league game.

“Full back is a new position for Bryan at this level, he’s used to playing at centre back for his college UL and his club.

“I thought he did terrifically well at full back today. He was exposed one on one quite a bit, which is always a worry in the modern game. But Bryan is a very capable player, and I’m really happy with the way he performed.

“The modern full back has to be able to hurl and have athleticism, and be really composed on the ball. It’s usually very difficult to defend nowadays as an inside back because forwards out the field are inclined to let in that ball that much better than back in my time!

“Bryan has all that athleticism and I thought he did really well tonight for his first taste of playing at number three. We’re really happy with him.

“Mikey (Breen) coming on at wing allows him to exploit his athleticism and his ability to get up and down the field, especially in the second half, I thought he did that quite well”.

The Ballingarry man was delighted to leave GAA headquarters with the points secured.

“We always knew that it was going to be a tough assignment up here. There were a couple of players in the squad who hadn’t played in Croke Park before so we’re happy to get the result.

“We’re not massively over-happy with a lot of aspects of our play but it’s another two points on the board, and three from three so we’re happy enough.

“We were very lucky to go in at half-time a point up, as the game was played on Dublin’s terms early on. They had a lot more movement than us, a lot more energy. But that’s probably what happens when you travel away from home, and (a game at) five o’clock in the evening. I’m not making excuses, our energy wasn’t where it needed to be.

“But to be fair to the players they addressed it well at half-time and started the second half really well.

“We were glad to get the two goals, without them obviously we would have been in a bit of bother.

“Conor Bowe’s chance was really well executed, it was probably a bit fortunate with the way the ball broke to Jason (Forde) for the second. Jason being Jason, what a finish when the half chance was there, he was able to get the hurley to it and send it into the back of the net”.

Explaining the substitutions, Cahill said “One or two players came off today, it wasn’t all necessarily tactical or because they weren’t playing that well, it was injury prevention more so than anything else, and soreness in different areas. So we were just glad to get them off and not do any more damage to the injury front”.

He revealed that Brian McGrath had suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury, while Jason Forde “was getting a little bit of tightness in his leg with a muscle injury, so we’re not taking any risks, really.

“Conor Stakelum is not long back from an injury. Today I suppose, with the benefit of hindsight, was probably a bit early for Conor. If we were back again we would probably have got another week or so training into him.

"He is having such a good campaign to date, we felt it was good to let him off, but I think Conor needs a little bit more work to come back to the level he was at before he picked up his injuries.

“Rhys Shelly was hurt playing with his college, in the quarter-final of the Fitzgibbon Cup, but Rhys is on the mend and we’re looking forward to seeing him back soon, and we’re delighted to have young Enda Dunphy in there, the experience will stand to him”.