Excited and rarin’ to go - Tipperary’s Ronan Maher is delighted to be back

Tipperary defender Ronan Maher rarely misses a game for club and county. So, you can imagine his frustration when a fracture to his leg left him with a boot for much of the club campaign which saw Sarsfields bow out at the hands of Clonoulty Rossmore at quarter final stage.

The sidelined star had plenty of time to think about things and appreciating being able to play was one of them, especially given the devastating news of big brother, Padraic’s premature departure from the scene - he could hardly have predicted this time last year that Padraic would be a selector within twelve months.

“It will be different having him on the sideline rather than beside me on the pitch. It’s great to have him in there because he knows all the players very well and that can only be a good thing in my opinion,” Ronan says.

Also on the sidelines this season will be former Waterford star Tony Browne - a new voice for Tipperary and somebody who has really impressed Ronan, even in the very short space of time.

Of course the exploits of selectors TJ Ryan (Clonoulty Rossmore) and Declan Laffen (Loughmore Castleiney) are well known domestically too - shrewd hurling men who make up the management team with Liam Cahill and Michael Bevans.

“TJ and Declan are very experienced men. We saw what they achieved on the club scene and it is nice to have them in our corner rather than against us as they were with Clonoulty Rossmore and Loughmore Castleiney. They are great men to have in the camp. With Tony Browne, he has hit the ground running and I will definitely be going to him during the year. He speaks really well and we have been very impressed by him,” Ronan says.

While the Sarsfields man was despairing at missing a few matches for his club during the summer, the fact that he led the guard of honour for inter county colleague Dillon Quirke while wearing a protective boot, really put things into perspective for him. And, Ronan admitted that Dillon will certainly be on the minds of the players as this season kicks off and progresses - he was central to Tipperary’s campaign in 2022 and his passing left the panel members bereft.

And, Ronan, has nothing but admiration for the Clonoulty Rossmore club for the manner in which they ‘pulled together’ to offer support to Dillon’s family and to each other. It was an eye opener which perhaps offered perspective to Padraic’s premature retirement too - his brother had enjoyed a stellar career, whereas Dillon was just starting on his journey, when he was taken so cruelly.

“Padraic’s retirement just came out of the blue but it is really good to have him back in again - I think it helps to fill the void for him and he has a lot more to concentrate on as a selector,” Ronan says while also acknowledging that Padraic is involved with the Thurles CBS Harty Cup team and is also heading up the Thurles Sarsfields senior hurling management team in 2023. He’ll be a busy man.

2022 is now in the rearview mirror but Ronan is hoping that Tipperary can learn from it. They didn’t reach the necessary standards and levels, he says, and it is now up to the players to turn it around again and return Tipperary to where the county should be.

A lot of work has been done already - a great base is in place - and he is looking forward to tackling Waterford in the first round of the Munster Co-Op League in Fraher Field next Tuesday - a big test with Davy Fitzgerald looking forward to his first outing with the Deise too.