INTERVIEW: Conditioning the key factor in resurgent Tipperary’s All-Ireland semi-final surge

As Tipperary prepare to walk out in another All-Ireland semi-final, few would have predicted such a turnaround after the winless woes of 2024.

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But Tipperary selector Declan Laffan believes there is a clear reason behind the Premier County’s resurgence this summer: conditioning.

With Liam Cahill’s side now just 70 minutes from an All-Ireland final, Laffan says that improvements in physical preparation have been central to the shift in fortunes - and have also helped to silence some of the criticism surrounding the team’s management.

“The public perception of Liam is that he flogs his teams, and look, let the public think what they like. We just have to worry about what we do,” Laffan remarked.

There is little doubt that last year’s approach fell short when it mattered most. Laffan doesn’t shy away from that admission and points to late-game fade-outs that proved costly.

“We probably didn’t get it right last year, we probably tapered it back a little bit too much. We maybe suffered in the latter end of games where teams just pulled away from us and we just hadn’t it in the lungs to stay with them.”

Now, the margins are finer and the demands greater - not just physically, but in how the week is managed around high-stakes championship clashes.

“It’s a fine balance getting it right, and it’s even the same coming into big games like this, how you tailor training during the week that you don’t end up flat. Do you do an hour? Do you do 40 minutes?

“Everything has to be tailored properly, and that’s where your S&C guys have come in and laid down the law and make sure that things are done right and that we don’t overcook lads.”

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