New Tipperary football manager seeks to build ‘the right culture’ in squad

There was an air of satisfaction and relief around the Tipperary senior football panel and management on Sunday last at Templetuohy after the team had recorded their first win of the year with a four-points victory over Limerick in the McGrath Cup.

It was just the second competitive game under new manager Paul Kelly, and after the final whistle the Dubliner who lives in county Wicklow admitted to being happy with his side’s first win having lost their opening McGrath Cup game to Kerry. However, he was far more concerned with what he is attempting to build as a manager with this young squad rather than the single result of a pre-season dead rubber encounter in January.

On Saturday week Tipperary will get down to the real business of the League - and being back in Division 4 - when they welcome Carlow to Semple Stadium for their opening game. For a team in definite transition, with the loss of quite a few of last year’s panel, and the introduction of a fair sprinkling of new talent, there is a huge amount of work to be done in the months ahead. Sunday’s team had two players starting from Thurles Sarsfields - when last did a Sars man play senior for Tipperary?

It appears that experienced players such as Kevin Fahey, Michael O’Reilly, Colman Kennedy, Mikey O’Shea, Liam McGrath and one or two more won’t be involved for this campaign, but there is the good news that former All-Star Conor Sweeney who suffered a cruciate ligament injury last year is back in training and hopefully will figure later in the campaign.
Welcome as the win on Sunday last was - it was March 2022 since Tipperary last beat another county (London) at senior grade (Waterford excepted) - manager Paul Kelly wasn’t getting too carried away by the deserved win.

“It is only pre-season. Of course I am happy with the win but what I am seeking is to build up the right culture in the squad. If we can do that, we can get the performances, and from that will come the results,” he said pragmatically.

“We have a very young team and there are 17 or 18 clubs represented in the squad. Defensively we improved from the first game (against Kerry) and we are also improving athletically. We are five to six weeks behind in our pre-season to where I would like to be, so it was very encouraging to see how we drove on in the closing stages today,” said Kelly, who was previously part of Oisin McConville’s Wicklow management team that won promotion from Division 4. How he would love to repeat that success this year with his new charges.

As well as those who have chosen to take a break this year, the new manager also pointed out that there are six or seven key players missing at present who are dealing with medium to long-term injuries but he confirmed that Munster final winning captain of 2020 Conor Sweeney, who was sidelined with a long term injury last year, is back in training.

“He is working away trying to build up his recovery. We are anxious to have him back but these injuries have to be managed properly. Mark Russell and Stephen Quirke are also in training and making their way back to full fitness and we are hoping that they will see some action during the league campaign”, he said.

There was a further setback on Sunday, hopefully not of too serious a nature, when goalkeeper Evan Comerford - himself just returned to the squad after a two-year break - hobbled off after 15 minutes having kicked two points from placed balls before his exit. His returned to the squad is to be welcomed.

“We won't know until during the week exactly what the problem is but I am hoping it will not be too serious. Hats off to Jack Rodgers however who stepped in and did very well on his debut”, he added.

Naas based Rodgers hails from Cashel “stock” and has thrown in his lot with Tipperary. Incidentally, Kelly managed the Kildare club in 2021 so obviously there was a connection there to entice the shot stopper to join Tipperary.

While Sunday’s win over Limerick will surely build some much-needed confidence in the squad, the manager is happy with the progress being made but again stresses the need to develop the right culture within the panel.
“We want to do well in the league but to do so it is important that we have the right framework in place. We have to have the right culture in the squad and if we achieve that the right performances will follow, and from that will come the results”, he said.

Each new manager brings his own style and methods and even in his short tenure to date the approach seems quite different from that of previous boss, David Power.

It is clear that Paul Kelly, who in 2019 guided his own club, Thomas Davis’s in Tallaght to their first Dublin Senior ‘A’ county final in 28 years has a realistic vision of the direction he wants to take Tipperary football. It will take time for him to put his stamp on this side, and he must be given that. A good league campaign is imperative. The manager is pleased with how things are going and the response from his players to date. An opening win over Carlow in Semple Stadium on Saturday week would help give them much-needed momentum for the taxing seven-game league programme ahead.