PREVIEW: New kids on the block will be hoping to keep Tipp minor hurlers on the winning track!

Tipperary will begin the defence of their Munster and All-Ireland crowns this coming Friday, with Waterford the first team to take a cut at the reigning champions in round 1 of the Electric Ireland Munster Minor Hurling Championship.

This will be James Woodlock’s fifth year at the helm and he named a 36 players strong panel ahead earlier this month.

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There is a huge spread of clubs across the panel with a whopping 31 clubs contributing players to the cause this year, while there are only eight survivors from last year’s successful squad with Durlas Óg pair Euan Murray and Kieran Rossiter involved again along with Patrick Hackett, Paul Cummins, Philip O’Dwyer, Dylan Hennessy, Paddy McCormack and Jack Cahill.

The format continues the same this year, with the round robin make up in situ with Waterford as the opening challenge, before the contests against Clare away in round 2, Limerick at home in round 3, before finishing the group games against Cork in Cork in early May.

Woodlock will be looking to Durlas Óg duo Euan Murray and Kieran Rossiter for the leadership after their recent exploits in the Croke Cup, and along with the other survivors mentioned as well as a nice cluster of talent from the Arrabawn winning team, there should be decent raw materials to work with for Woodlock and his management team.

Waterford poses the first threat to Tipperary’s title defence and they will be a tough opener with a nice cohort of their squad made up of players involved with De La Salle College that ran Thurles CBS close in the Harty Cup earlier this year, particularly the Power brothers Shane and Jamie who would be the main men for them.

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