PREVIEW: 'If you dwell too much on games, the whole Munster championship is over in a flash'

There was a keen sense of deflation amongst Tipperary supporters walking away from Pairc Uí Chaoimh after the disappointing league final loss against Cork.

It was a case of worst case scenario for the team with a lot of the positivity built up during the league campaign and you would hope - as a Tipp supporter - that the players have shaken off the result as a mere blip in an otherwise heartening campaign.

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The wait for silverware continues but the biggest takeaway from the league has been the consistency in team selection as it looks like Cahill and his management team have found the formula and spine for the team that was so lacking during last year’s campaign.

“The consistency throughout the league is the most positive thing coming out of the league for us,” said captain Ronan Maher at the Munster Championship launch.

“The cohesion of players playing in the same position going through the league - it gives you good clarity going out on the field.  The spine of the team has been consistent throughout the league, and that was something that frustrated us last year in the league and carried on through the championship.

“On the other side, there’s great competition (for all positions) there as well. There are lads who have been given opportunities and every day they went out there they played well. 

“It does give you a good confidence boost going out onto the field, you’re comfortable playing with players alongside you. Everybody has got good game time and good opportunities throughout the league.

“That’s a good positive, and it’s just about bringing that consistency now towards the championship.”

Aside from the league final loss to Cork, the difference between the performance of this year versus 12 months previous has been stark. 

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Management has taken a fair degree of flack for the performances of 2024 and Maher highlighted that the players understand that they have to take ownership of performances on the pitch and this is something they have honed in on this year.

“Lads are really enjoying it this year, and it goes back to the accountability of the players. Everybody is taking responsibility for themselves,” he said.

“Training has been really tough throughout the pre-season and coming into the league. We really focused on just going out game by game and narrowing down our targets a small bit. You can see that, when we go out onto the field we’re taking it game by game.

“There’s a big responsibility putting on that blue and gold jersey, and last year was a really tough year for everybody involved, management and players, and I suppose the players had to take big ownership of that.

“We trained really hard, and we were accountable to each other and as a group, and that has shown so far that it has improved us an awful lot.  It’s all about continuing to build as a team, and bringing us together as a unit that bit more.”

The impact of Darragh McCarthy and Sam O’Farrell has been another positive to take from the league campaign, heading into championship.

With so much confidence and no lack of ability, they have taken to senior hurling with seamless ease and they have bred a certain level of exuberance into the group according to their captain.

“They have really settled in, and not just Darragh McCarthy and Sam O’Farrell. There are three or four of the Under 20s who have really settled in and they have really driven the whole squad on.

They’re a breath of fresh air, really. 

“They’re really mature for their age, and really classy players as well. It has been a great learning for them throughout the league. 

“All five or six of those younger players have been really good, and have trained really hard and have really good heads on them as well.

“They’re mature, and I’m just hoping they bring the form they have shown so far through to the championship. They’re really refreshing to have around.”

However, the league is now ancient history with the Munster Championship now in clear view ahead of the clash against Limerick on Easter Sunday next.

As if the pressure of the past few years wasn’t enough for this group, they could scarcely have received a more difficult start with Limerick up first in round one in Thurles, followed by the daunting prospect of heading down to Pairc Uí Chaoimh again the following Sunday for round two.

“Everybody knows how difficult the Munster championship is,” Maher said when asked about the opening two rounds of the championship.

“If you go through a tough game, it’s about how quickly you can re-set and focus on the next game. 

“It can really determine how your Munster championship fares.

“You can’t focus on a loss or a draw, even if it’s a win, you have to re-set quickly on the Monday or Tuesday and focus on the next game. 

“If you dwell too much on games, the whole Munster championship is over in a flash and you could be gone out of the championship.

“That’s one of the big learnings to take from the last few years, just to be able to re-set very quickly for the next game.”

He added finally, “There have been great games in the league and winning gives you belief going forward towards the championship. You can’t beat winning games.

“It has prepped us well for the Munster championship that’s going to be really difficult, Limerick in the first game is a massive challenge for us at home but one that we will look forward to.”

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