REACTION: Cummins satisfied with opening U20 win but admits there is more to be done

Satisfaction was the overall emotion for Brendan Cummins after his U20 players opened their account with a solid away victory over Limerick last week, and he was delighted that the effort was evident from the players in the end from the team who took some time to get into their stride against an already battle-hardened opponent in Rathkeale.

“Yeah happy, the lads ran themselves into the ground. I mean you saw in the finish we had guys falling all over the place and we have a number of injuries and Paddy was in hard luck – just mistimed the tackle.

“So we’ll have to see now tomorrow what way the bodies are and Monday and Tuesday. So yeah it's very pleasing to come down here and get a win like that.”

“It took us a bit of time to get into it. I’m not sure we were by far the better team, but when they got the goal I was happy that we won the next puckout.

“We were always going to come up against adversity and our reaction and I was interested in what our reaction was going to be, and I was pleased that it was very strong. Win lose, or draw I was happy we did that and from there we would see what the scoreboard finished like and thankfully it was in our favour,” he added.

He continued, “You can talk tactics all you like but hurling is about x factor and it is about what you can get out of yourself.

“A lot of the players had to be carried off the pitch and that’s when you know that a group have a good amount of buy-in.

“But like I said, we have to get fellas back and we have to do that again and that’s the challenge for my management team; to get the lads ready to perform again, and it might not be as well the next day but we just need to find a way because I know that Waterford are going to be hurting after what happened against Cork.

“They are going to be all in. Ken McGrath is a proud Waterford man along with Kevin Moran and the lads on the line and they are going to be fired up so we’re very clear about what is going to happen next Friday night.”

This Tipperary side has a more than youthful look to it with only three of the starting team from the Limerick game up the age and Cummins heaped special praise on the trio in the half-back line who stood up and lead by example all game, laying the foundation for a positive performance and result.

“They (the half-back line) were fantastic. Ben (Currivan), Ronan (Connolly), and Jack Collins were very good and you need that kind of strength around the half-back line and lads on the age, kind of do all the heavy lifting for all the world.

“When it was kind of going against us, Jack Collins was over on the wing breaking tackles and handing it off to Adam Daly. Adam didn’t have to get into the row and those things show great leadership.

“Eoin Craddock came on tonight too and, not only that, we have lads on the panel in the background who didn’t get a spin tonight.

“We’ll train with them during the week and they might get an opportunity based on the amount of injuries we picked up here tonight,” he insisted.

When asked about the rumbling of discontent amongst the Tipperary public over the recent poor results on challenges matches in the build-up to the championship, and whether or not the furore was used as motivation for the group, Cummins rubbished the notion and highlighted that while a win the first day out was important, there is still a lot of hurling to be played.

“No, it doesn’t matter,” Cummins retorted bullishly.

“When those lads go home, they meet their families and that’s the most important feedback they’re going to get.

“Whatever goes on anywhere else in the world is just noise and it doesn’t matter to those young men.

“I gave 20 years playing for Tipperary and I know what it’s like, and they know what it’s like and that’s just the way it is.

“When I was above in the stand watching the U17s last night I was shouting and roaring and that’s just it. It’s all just noise.

“It just doesn’t matter because if we lost tonight they would have jumped on us, we didn’t so we’ll be grand for another week.

"We’ll have to move forward now again to stop people jumping on us and that is the way and the law of the jungle and I’ve no problem with that.

“Those young men in there don’t mind it either and they’re fine with all that.

“One performance in Rathkeale is fine but it’s not going to go down as the flagship saviour of Tipperary hurling by any manner of means.

“We have to have consistency if we’re going to get out of this because if we lose the next two matches, tonight will have meant absolutely nothing. We’ll be out on our ear.

“Our focus now is to get our bodies right, which we will do, and go back to training and we’ll prepare for Waterford,” he finished