Tipperary minors can lift Munster crown if they take their chances, says manager Tommy Dunne

With the season already over for the Tipperary senior hurlers, the focus is on the minors to keep hopes alive of championship glory.

And they now face a date with destiny when they take on Limerick in the new u-17 age group Munster final in Semple Stadium on Sunday, the curtain raiser to the Cork v Clare senior decider.

It’s a huge test for Tommy Dunne’s charges after they won two and lost two in the four round-robin clashes in the new championship format.

And one of those defeats was on opening day against Limerick so they will have to reverse that result against the Shannonsiders to claim provincial  honours.

And they are guaranteed further games either way because while the winners go through to the All Ireland semi-final, the losers go into another round-robin with Galway and the Leinster runners-up with the winners there also qualifying for the All Ireland semi-final.

The Munster round-robin was a mixed bag for Tipperary but manager Tommy Dunne has seen enough to encourage him for Sunday. Taking their chances and not letting leads slip will be among the priorities.

And he welcomes the opportunity to have another crack at Limerick.

“It won't be the same type of game that it was the first day, both teams have a lot more experience now in the bank and probably a bit more maturity and composure about them”, says the Toomevara man who captained Tipperary to All Ireland glory in 2001 with victory over Galway.

“We missed quite a lot of chances  in the first game against Limerick  and a good few against Clare as well so that’s something that’s very much on our radar really.

 “But we work hard on trying to convert the chances we create.  So if that part of our game is good  it will give us a great chance”, he says.

After the disappointing loss to Limerick, the Tipp boys revived their campaign with a win over Cork. They then surrendered a big lead to Waterford to lose to the Deise before bouncing back again to win their last game against Clare.

And the manner of those wins following earlier losses has pleased Dunne most as he looks back on  the Munster campaign.

He says - “We knew at the outset  among the teams in Munster that there would be little enough between us all and it worked out like that. Not alone was the format of the championship new but the age grade was a new experience for everybody so there were a lot of unknowns at the outset. “One of the most pleasing aspects of it from our point of view was the way we responded after both losses.

“And those defeats were very disappointing to take because the Limerick and Waterford games were ones where we put ourselves in a position to win and ended up losing. 

“But the upside was that we bounced back very well to both of them and that was enough to get us through to the final. That was one of the most pleasing aspects of the campaign for us”.

And he now hopes that trend will follow as they bid to turn the tables on an impressive Limerick side that won three of its games in the round-robin while Tipp, Waterford and Cork won two each.

“We are very pleased to be in the final. There was  very little between any of the teams through the round robin with the exception of Limerick. 

“We know that Limerick are a fine team, a big powerful team playing a great traditional Limerick style and they are hard to beat. They are very much there on merit, won three games out of four and went to Ennis and beat Clare which is a fair accomplishment so we will have our work cut out but we are happy to be there with a fifty-fifty chance. If we produce our best then we will be hard to beat as well”.

Like the seniors, Tipperary played four weeks in a row and finished their campaign before the other counties so they had to wait for the last round of matches to see if they had done enough to reach the final.

And they had, with their plus 12 scoring difference well ahead of both Cork and Waterford.

“Each team won two and lost two and we had a  healthy scoring average which got us to the final. We are pleased but realise that we are a little bit lucky to be there as well”, says the Toomevara man.

But again he puts the focus on the character of the players. “I am very pleased with the character they showed in difficult circumstances. They are a great bunch of young lads. The Limerick match was disappointing first off. We were beaten coming down the home straight where Limerick finished very powerfully and we didn't have an answer. 

“But we regrouped and learned a little bit. We missed a lot of chances on the day and played very well against Cork from start to finish. 

“And then in the Waterford match we were well in control  but again Waterford came with a powerful run and got two late goals. We were devastated afterwards but bounced back with a great win against Clare that really gave the lads a lot of confidence and gave us confidence in them as well. There is plenty of character there”. 

The scoring threat could be the factor that swings the tide in Tipperary’s direction against Limerick.

When they're good they're very good and will be looking to players such as James Devaney (Borrisoleigh), Sean Hayes (Moycarkey), Cian O'Farrell (Nenagh), Max Hackett (Moycarkey)  and Cappawhite's Ryan Renehan to probe for openings in the tight Limerick defence.

At the back Dunne will be looking to players such as Conor O'Dwyer (Cashel King Cormacs), Conor Whelan (Mullinahone) and Johnny Ryan (Arravale Rovers) to shut up shop on the Limerick attack.

With the under 21s facing Cork in the Munster final three days later, there is still much to cheer for Tipp hurling fans despite the seniors' disappointment and a win on Sunday would represent a great start to the week.

The game throws in at 11.30am with the senior final at 2pm.