‘Getting out of Division 3 is Tipp’s aim for now’ - Football manager David Power

Having basked in the winter warmth of being Munster champions for the first time in 85 years, Tipperary senior footballers only returned to training recently on Monday, April 19. Following an enforced layoff due to Covid-19, the get-together was their first session since the All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Mayo at Croke Park, a welcome return to the training pitches of Tom Morris Park to begin another, hopefully rewarding, year.
Team manager, David Power, who even as a young man has now achieved more than perhaps any senior football manager in Tipperary’s big ball history, was delighted to be back at what he does best.
“It’s strange to be back again after the layoff but there’s a great buzz about it already. All the panel were really looking forward to getting back, ready to go again, and you could see that about the place. It’s an exciting time for us following on from last year, obviously. We also have a lot of new players in as well to take a look at. There’s lots to be getting on with for now,” he said.
Because of the extended shutdown in Gaelic games, this league will be like no other and preparing for it will be very different from other league campaigns of the past.
According to David Power, “it’s going to be hard going getting up to speed, especially for the newer lads, with such a short lead time into the league. Usually you might have six weeks of a pre-season to prepare, this year we don’t have that luxury.
“That said, we are happy with where we are. Since the start of January we left them all with their own individual programmes from Robbie (Cannon). Paddy (Christie) would have given them some skill work to do football-wise. We didn’t go near any group or collective sessions within the closedown period. We felt we had to respect what was being said by the Government,” added the Kilsheelan/Kilcash clubman.
“Our strength and conditioning work has gone well. The conditioning of a lot of the lads has really improved and you could see that many are physically stronger as a result of their programmes and all the work that they are after doing individually. So overall the management team is quite positive with where the players are now, considering we haven’t been able to train together for so long,” he pointed out.

Glory days of November 2020 when Tipperary captured their first Munster senior title in 1985. All the above players are back to go again for another campaign except Philip Austin (centre) who has decided to retire from inter-county football after a long career in the Tipp jersey.

While the backroom team have an extended panel currently to check out with a lot of young players trying to gain experience and make a breakthough to the seniors, Tipperary will have to make do without a few familiar faces from last year.
Gone from the panel will be the longest serving Philip Austin, who donned the Blue and Gold at all grades for 17 years. Deservedly the Borrisokane man has a coveted Munster senior medal in his back pocket, won on the field of play with the last point for Tipp in November’s epic against Cork.
“Liam Casey is not available as he is going travelling this year and Alan Campbell won’t be available for the entire year either because of work. Colin O’Riordan is obviously back in Australia now and won’t be available to us. After that everyone else is available from last year,” added David Power, stoically.
While O’Riordan’s two appearances last year were briefly uplifting, the loss of the vastly experienced Alan Campbell and Liam Casey will be sorely felt and difficult to replace.
There isn’t any concern either about the age profile of the team, according to the Tipp boss, even if a few are moving on in years.
“Brian (Fox) would be the elder statesman now and then probably Robbie Kiely but other than that age isn’t against this team. A lot of them are 27, 28 now, a great age for football, and we are trying to develop the young fellows as well with Paddy Christie of the senior management team taking over the Under 20s as well and trying to develop them but that is all going to take time too. We will have to start to beat Limerick and Clare again at that age group,” warned Power, very cognisant of the county’s poor underage record in the recent past after some glorious days, including an All-Ireland minor win of 20111 when he himself was also at the helm as manager.
But it is a fine line now for the backroom team as they prepare for their three-game mini league; push too hard and you could end up with injuries, not go hard enough and you might lack in preparation on match day.

INJURIES A REAL CONCERN
“My only real concern now is injuries over the next couple of weeks. We will just have to be very careful to try and get the balance right with the work that we have to do. Picking up injuries now will be a factor for all teams as they try to up intensity over the coming weeks,” added David.
The management team, obviously, isn’t looking any further than their first game - an away fixture against Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday next.
The Treaty, promoted from Division 4 last year, have been a stubbornly difficult opposition for Tipperary in recent times. Two years ago they defeated the Liam Kearns-managed Tipp comfortably in the Munster championship in Thurles, and for long periods in last year’s championship in November at the Gaelic Grounds they looked to have Tipperary in all sorts of bother once more.
That 2020 Munster Championship semi-final hasn’t been forgotten by David Power, as he gets his team ready for a return to Limerick on Saturday.
“It looked really bad for us for a long while that day and it looked particularly bad at half-time. But the comeback just showed everyone that there was a great fight in the team, even though we weren’t playing particularly well. We took lads off, we brought them back on, it was that type of a game, a game we just needed to get over the line and in the end we did just that. And Conor Sweeney’s incredible sideline point that day no doubt was immense and helped set him up for a deserved All-Star at the end of the year,” he added.
After the opening game in Limerick, Tipp will have Wicklow at home and then travel to face Offaly in Tullamore on consecutive weekends. The top two in Division 3 South will then go forward to semi-finals with the Division 3 North teams. This semi-final will be the crucial game, in so far as a victory would guarantee promotion to Division 2, regardless of the result in the final.
But the competition here will be tough also, with the four teams in Division 3 North comprising of Cavan (current Ulster champions), Derry, Fermanagh and Longford.
Being involved at the business end of the promotion stakes in June would also be welcome from the perspective of preparing for the Munster semi-final in July against the winners of the Clare v Kerry game. Tipperary’s reign as Munster champions will be on the line very soon again.
But championship football is not the immediate concern of David Power, judging from his reply to being asked where can Tipp go after such a great 2020.
“I think where we can go after last year is to get out of Division 3 and that’s our aim for now with the league. It’s just the four teams in our group, Limerick away, at home to Wicklow and then Offaly. It will be a tough one to start with but I honestly feel that if we perform we are capable of winning these games. If we could manage to top that group it would put us up against the second placed team on the other side. So if we can win our first four games we will be promoted,” he pointed out.
The Tipperary manager went on to comment on the structure of the football year ahead, happy enough that everyone, county and club, are getting a fair crack of the whip.

Walking the line, Tipperary manager David Power in full voice in a McGrath Cup game against Kerry in Clonmel last year.

“This year is going to be a short year again. I am delighted the way it is going to be inter-county straight through and out of the way and then leaving the clubs to have their own window later. That’s good all round, with everyone getting a fair run,” added the Tipperary boss, fully appreciating that a strong club championship is the nursery for developing stronger inter- county teams for the future.
As proud as he is of the indelible achievements of 2020, David Power is anxious to make progress from both the good and the not-so- good of last November and December.
“I will never forget that night when we were all back in Dublin in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel after the Mayo game. The players were disappointed but determined to learn from the experience that day. They were telling me ‘ we have to get more conditioned, we have to improve.’ That was encouraging to hear. It’s a great learning curve for us all.”
While the performance at GAA Headquarters that day wasn’t what anyone with Tipp connections hoped for, David Power wasn’t searching for excuses for it.
“It’s the way we play, we live or die by it. When things go well it looks really good and when things go badly we can be wide open. That’s because we don’t play with a sweeper and we don’t play defensively. When we were leaving Croke Park I was very proud of them all. The second half performance was a real brave performance, considering the first half was such a nightmare for 15 to 20 minutes.
“Look, sport can be like that, it can be cruel sometimes, you move on, you go again,” he concluded with a shrug of his shoulders.