'The communication between Liam and Brendan has been top class,' said captain Sam O'Farrell

Tipperary U20 captain Sam O’Farrell has expressed his appreciation to senior manager Liam Cahill for his unwavering support in allowing several young players to balance duties between the U20 and senior hurling panels this season.

READ NEXT: IN PICTURES: Were you there for Tipperary's crowning as U20 All-Ireland champions?!

O’Farrell, along with teammates Darragh McCarthy and Oisín O’Donoghue, has featured in both setups in recent weeks.
Conor Martin and Aaron O’Halloran are also involved with the senior side, creating a demanding but rewarding schedule.

That hectic run included an intense eight-day stretch that saw the U20s secure the Munster title while also playing crucial senior matches against Clare and Waterford.

The U20 squad capped off their impressive run with an All-Ireland triumph over the weekend, setting the stage for a preliminary senior quarter-final clash against the Joe McDonagh Cup runners-up.

“The communication between Liam and Brendan (Cummins) has been top class,” said O’Farrell.

“It would be remiss of me not to mention Liam and his backroom team, how good they’ve been to us.

“Even when you think about the Munster final, releasing us to play when we had a huge match to win against Waterford.

“From their point of view, they’re looking at energy levels, but that was a huge vote of confidence in us to allow us to play whatever part we did in that Munster final.

“All five of us will dust ourselves down over the coming days, and look forward to now giving the senior a rattle for the next few weeks.”

In the nine-point win over Kilkenny at Nowlan Park, O’Farrell made history by becoming the first Tipperary player to captain the county to All-Ireland titles at both minor and U20/21 levels.

When asked if he dreams of completing the trio with a senior title, he was measured in his response.

“That’s a good bit down the line. There's a lot of lads ahead of me in that,” O’Farrell replied.

“In that senior team, the experience you got from even just playing under Ronan (Maher) as the team captain, and Jake (Morris) as vice-captain; all of them older lads, lads I would’ve went to matches watching when I was younger, it’s just second-to-none the experience you get, and Ronan's awful good.

“After we lost to Limerick, we went back into the seniors the next night to train, and everyone to a man was there to offer a bit of advice.

“Darragh Stakelum was captain of the 20s. He had a lovely word with all of us, and just said, park it and move on, which we did. We were very grateful to them for that.”

Reflecting on his transition into the senior ranks, O’Farrell called it a dream come true.

“It’s an absolute honour. You could talk about it all day, playing senior hurling with Tipp, playing with your heroes, going to training.

“It’s pinch-me stuff, going and pucking balls with Noel McGrath, Ronan Maher, John McGrath.

“But we’ve been playing together since Primary Games, U14, Tony Forristal winners, Minor All-Ireland winners, and U20 winners. It’s just testament to the work that has been put into us individually in our clubs, but also from the coaches at county level.

“It would have felt wrong now if we lost today. It’s an absolutely unbelievable feeling.”

ALSO READ: IN PICTURES: Scenes as Tipperary U20s celebrate their brilliant All-Ireland win over Kilkenny