Old rivals Tipperary and Kilkenny meet in All Ireland minor hurling semi-final on Sunday

Tipperary manager Tommy Dunne is excited by the prospect of his team facing Kilkenny in Sunday's All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship semi-final at Croke Park (1.30) as the curtain-raiser to the senior semi-final between Cork and Limerick at 3.30. 

"After the Munster final (when his team beat Limerick by 1-20 to 1-12) I was just really excited that we were going to get to Croke Park, irrespective of what happens there,” he says.

“Of course we will be going up to play well and put in a big performance, but getting up there for a young player is a very important part of their development. One of the pluses of the format in Munster this year was that we got the big day atmosphere every day. 

"I think the players really enjoyed that and really learned a lot from it. There are downsides to the format too, but I thought that was one of the up sides for the players - they have broken the ice in terms of playing on big days in front of big crowds.”

Dunne wants his players to be excited about the prospect of playing in Croke Park; to embrace the challenge. And it seems the players have responded in kind.

“Yeah, I think so from their energy and body language - there has been a great atmosphere in training since the Munster final really.

“I think  it will be the first time that a lot of our lads will have played in Croke Park. So, it’s a big thing. You would have to be excited about that if you were them. All you can do is try to prepare them as best you can. I don’t think that they will be overawed or overwhelmed by it or anything like that.”

In the opening round of the Munster Championship Limerick beat Tipperary (1-17 to 2-12). But in the second round the Premier County emphatically saw off the challenge of Cork (4-15 to 1-14) to get their campaign back on track. Tipperary then lost to Waterford (3-9 to 2-13) before beating Clare (2-14 to 1-12) to progress to the provincial final on scoring difference. 

“The Clare game in particular showed that we probably have improved. Clare were a damn fine team, a really good minor team. We were under a bit of pressure. So, it was a match that could have been lost very easily, but we turned it around and actually played really well in the last quarter to go and win it”.   

“I keep saying it and people probably think I sound like a broken record, but these players are so young; that’s a huge factor. The grade is down from 18 to 17. It’s only one year, but it is still a big factor. You are in a new environment on the day of the game and then you are playing at a level that is new to you - it’s your first time playing at this grade. 

"I think if you were to talk to a lot of coaches at underage and up through (the grades) you will find that the step-up from juvenile hurling to county minor hurling is a really significant step. 

"The Harty Cup is a very important part of it, but in my view Harty Cup is not even close to inter-county minor hurling because it is played at a different time of the year, in different conditions and it is completely different. It is a way slower type of a game, it’s way more physical and it is way more attritional, but the speed at inter-county (minor) level, in my experience, is fairly far ahead of schools hurling.”

As his team prepares to face a Kilkenny side that beat Limerick by 3-22 to 1-12 in last weekend's quarter-final in Thurles, the manager has been pleased with their preparations.

“The form is good - the form is very good. We are training fairly well and there has been a lot of club activity during the past few weeks. 

“Because of the hot weather we have reduced the length of time that we have spent training. We adjusted a few aspects of training in order to take that into consideration,” the Toomevara man says.

“The biggest issue is trying to get the volume in training and the load of training right. Our philosophy is that we err on the low side nearly all of the time because they are so young and they are still physically developing. That’s why strength and conditioning coach Alan O’Connor (from Cahir) is a great addition really - I have worked with Alan before and he has worked with me before so we are kind of on the same page for all of that kind of thing. 

"We put a lot of emphasis on what we see in training in terms of the players’ movement and their body language. Obviously we get lots of feedback from the lads as well - the best of all is to hear it from themselves in terms of how they are feeling.”

Tommy Dunne wants his players to leave Croke Park with no regrets.

“If a player can go into a big game in a big stadium and play at or near his best the confidence that a player gets out of that is astronomical and it will stay with him for a long time, forever in fact. That’s how you develop confidence, that’s how you become a confident player - the more times that you can play well when it really, really matters, the more confidence you get". 

Dunne is joined on the minor management team by selectors Paul Collins (Drom/Inch), Ger Ryan (Cappawhite) and Tony Shelly (Killenaule). Alan O'Connor (Cahir) is the team's strength and conditioning coach while Thomas Hassett (Toomevara) is the kit man.

The panel is Aaron Browne (Knockavilla/Donaskeigh Kickhams), Enda Dunphy (St Mary's Clonmel), Johnny Ryan (Arravale Rovers, captain), Conor Whelan (Mullinahone), Kevin Hayes (Moycarkey-Borris), Seán Phelan (Nenagh Éire Óg), Ryan Renehan (Cappawhite), Fintan Purcell (Drom/Inch), David Fox (Éire Óg Annacarty-Donohill), Paudie O’Loughlin (Newcastle), Frank Hanafin (Holycross-Ballycahill), Billy O’Connor (Kilsheelan-Kilcash), Philip Gantley (Cappawhite), Kieran Larkin (Moyne-Templetuohy), Conor O’Dwyer (Cashel King Cormacs), Kevin Maher (Borris-Ileigh), Oisín Larkin (Borrisokane), Jack Morrissey (Moycarkey-Borris), John Campion (Drom/Inch), Rory O’Donovan (Nenagh Éire Óg), Cian O’Farrell (Nenagh Éire Óg), Kian O’Kelly (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Seán Hayes (Kiladangan), James Devanney (Borris-Ileigh), Devon Ryan (Knockavilla/Donaskeigh Kickhams), Max Hackett (Moycarkey-Borris), Mikey O’Shea (Mullinahone), Eoin Purcell (Thurles Sarsfields), Aidan O’Heney (Emly), James Synnott (Roscrea), Jack Lanigan (Thurles Sarsfields), Keith Ryan (Upperchurch-Drombane) and Darren Flood (Moycarkey-Borris).