From double ankle fracture to All-Ireland glory, Willie Connors opens up on his toughest battle

Willie Connors is acutely aware that success brings its own set of challenges, and the Tipperary midfielder knows the champions cannot allow outside demands to derail their bid for history.

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After ending an 11-year wait for Liam MacCarthy glory in 2024, Connors has seen first-hand how quickly fortunes can change at the top level. Clare’s struggles last season, following their own All-Ireland breakthrough, served as a timely reminder of how difficult it is to stay at the summit.

Now a two-time All-Ireland winner, Connors tasted success as a substitute in the 2019 final against Kilkenny before playing a central role in last summer’s emphatic Croke Park victory over Cork. That win has put Liam Cahill’s side firmly in the spotlight, with Tipperary aiming to become the county’s first team in over six decades to retain the title.

The Premier County squad enjoyed a team trip to South Africa last month to mark their achievement, but Connors admits the celebrations have come with increased commitments away from the pitch.

“There’s definitely a lot more demands. There’s no point in saying different. Schools, hospitals, you’re going everywhere and anywhere.

“And if you keep saying yes to them, I suppose they’ll keep asking. But it’s nearly time now to park it and concentrate on 2026 with Christmas coming up.

“So like that, maybe it did affect Clare last year, but who knows?

“It probably affected us after 2019 as well, so hopefully we’ll learn a lesson and try to hold on to it. But we know that it’s not going to be that easy.”

Connors was speaking at the launch of the 2026 Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League, which begins for Tipperary against Waterford in Clonmel on Saturday, January 3. The competition holds difficult memories for the Kiladangan man, who suffered a double ankle fracture during a shock defeat to Kerry in 2022.

That injury sidelined him from inter-county hurling for more than two years, but Connors now views the setback as a defining period in his career.

“When that did happen, it actually opened my eyes because I got seven months on my own working on myself.

“It made me enjoy the game a lot more when I came back to it and appreciate it a lot more. If you have a bad day or a bad training session or a bad match, you just have to park it and move on again.

“I just had to look in at what I had to work on. In fairness, I met a few great people during it as well that helped me.

“I was just trying to get back on to the field.

“While I was off the field, I was actually gymming with the cast on. I just got into a bit of a mad habit

“I was going down to the gym two or three times and trying to keep myself busy.

“Then I was trying to work through it as well, keeping the head busy. I don’t really know how to explain what it did to me but it made me look forward to coming back.

“Obviously I heard a few doubters and people saying that I mightn’t play again.

“I didn’t listen to it too much. I just made it a goal to make sure I’d get back, even though it took me the 2023 season, I suppose, to come back into Tipp then in 2024.”

With a strong crop of young talent already making their presence felt, including Young Hurler of the Year Darragh McCarthy, Sam O’Farrell and Oisín O’Donoghue, Cahill has once again turned to the county’s emerging stars. Several members of Tipperary’s All-Ireland Under-20 winning panel have been brought into the senior setup as preparations begin for another demanding campaign.

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