PREVIEW: Tipperary hurlers ready for the first test of 2025 away in Galway

Allianz National Hurling League Preview

Tipperary vs Galway in Pearse Stadium 3.45, Sunday, January 26

Tipperary will be back in the throes of competitive hurling for the first time since last May this coming Sunday as they make the trip to Salthill to take on Galway in the opening round of this year’s Allianz National Hurling League.

It is a busy opening weekend of competitive action for Tipperary in both codes, but as usual, the focus and attention of the county will be on the fortunes of our senior hurlers.

For the first time since 2020, the hurling and football league competitions are launching simultaneously, after the past three seasons, where the first round of football takes place a week before that of the hurling competition.

In hurling’s new Division 1A, Tipperary are joined by Clare, Cork, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, and Wexford, with each team having three home and away games. The bottom two by the end of the sixth and final round will be relegated to Division 1B, while the top two will contest the league final.

So, with the competition now having some level of jeopardy returning, there should be more bite and competitiveness across the board this time around.

Cahill and his players have been hard at work over the last few weeks in terms of playing challenge games and in-house matches to prepare for the commencement of the league. With a cull in the panel announced just after last Sunday’s challenge game against Kerry — the panel dropping from 45 to 38 — we will get a clearer picture of what Cahill will have at his disposal for the next few months.

Challenges against Laois and Dublin, along with a game against the Tipperary U20 team in Moneygall two weekends ago, have given ample opportunities for players to impress.

Yet, if we are looking for a picture of what team Cahill will likely line out in Salthill on Sunday, the Dublin game will have been the clearest indicator.

Darragh McCarthy will likely make his competitive debut after taking over free-taking duties — even when Jason Forde was introduced — while fellow U20 teammate Sam O’Farrell will likely start too, after the pair impressed in their appearances thus far.

Conor Martin is the other young gun who has been used consistently in pre-season at centre-forward, so there is certainly an infusion of youth to the side, and this will be an interesting aspect of the first-round clash against a physical Galway side in a tough venue on the Atlantic coast.

There are still plenty of absentees from the games played in pre-season to consider, with Noel and John McGrath getting limited game time — playing a half against the U20s — as Cahill looks to be easing them back into action after an elongated club season for Loughmore Castleiney, while Jason Forde has been getting bit-part appearances in the second half of the Laois and Dublin games.

Injuries have reared their head early on this season too, with Sean Kenneally pulling up with a hamstring injury while playing in the Fitzgibbon Cup for TUS Midwest last week, while the hope of Joe Caesar making an impression this year has been hampered as the Holycross Ballycahill U21 county final-winning captain carried over an ankle injury from that successful campaign late last year and has only recently returned to training.

There is also Fitzgibbon Cup involvement to contend with for management, which may affect selection this weekend, with Gearoid O’Connor, Michael Corcoran, Darragh Stakelum, and Peter McGarry all likely to be in action midweek leading up to the game.

Whatever the selection, a clash away to Galway to open proceedings is certainly a tough test, especially considering the return of Micheal Donoghue to the fold.

By all accounts, Galway have put in a rigorous early-season effort and will be well-primed for this game. With three home games for each county and the relegation factor to contend with, winning home games will be pivotal in such an ultra-competitive division.

The Tribesmen are in a similar scenario with some key players stepping aside, a conveyor belt of young talent yet to be integrated into the team, and with Donoghue having a record of success with the senior side, they will be buoyed for the season ahead — starting this Sunday.

Starting the season with confidence will be important for Cahill and his players to try and get supporters behind the team after what was a dismal 2024 campaign, and there were some small positives from the challenge games in recent weeks to indicate that the team will be in better shape.

The use of the ball has been sharp, and the team looks to have a clear identity with how they are using the ball: heads-up hurling and clean stick passing being a real highlight of the Laois game in particular.

Some areas of concern after the Dublin game would be the midfield. While Willie Connors played well, the Dubliners had the edge in the middle third, and nailing down a consistent partnership here will be key.

Likewise, the concession of short puck-outs was a source of numerous dangerous Dublin attacks, and with the management looking likely to persist with this approach, it will need refining in time for the championship.

All in all, there is plenty to work with going into Sunday.