Call made for fresh approach to be adopted for Tipperary football

Clonmel Commercials arguably played better in their defeat by Dingle in last Sunday’s Munster Club Senior Football Championship semi-final than they did when beating Newcastle West in the semi-final.

And the sight of a Tipperary club football team going toe-to-toe with a Kerry team offers hope for Tipp football, Commercials manager Tommy Morrissey agrees.

“I would hope that the new (Tipp) management team would see, I’ve said it before, Tadhg Condon and Rory O’Dowd, to name two players”.

He also agreed that the outstanding performances by Jack Kennedy and Seanie O’Connor against Dingle were encouraging for football in the county.

“Jack and Sean are going to have to drive Tipp football on next year, with the ultimate aim of getting out of division four. It’s good to see them performing today and hopefully they will kick that into the league campaign when it starts in another few weeks.

“Ultimately there isn’t a man in that group who won’t be playing some part in an inter-county team next year, football and hurling, and it’s important to see leadership skills like that”.

Tommy Morrissey went on to say, “The ability without doubt is there.

“The new Tipperary management team need to get the players to buy into it now and to give it everything. The target for this coming year I’m sure would be to get out of division four, and then next year try and stabilise in division three, ultimately to blood new talent.

“With Commercials, and I know from being with the county minors in the last few years, that there is talent around the county and it’s important that it’s nurtured and brought in by the new management team (led by manager Paul Kelly).

“Because let’s be honest, there’s no point in trying to spin the wheel the same way again. We may as well try and bring in new faces and new blood into it, and give it new energy, and I hope they do that”.