McGrath reveals his future plans with Tipperary and backs Cahill for 2027
Reigning Hurler of the Year says he has no plans to retire and insists Tipperary
Tipperary star John McGrath has confirmed that he intends to return for the Premier County in 2027 and has given his backing to manager Liam Cahill following a disappointing championship campaign.
Speaking in an interview with the Irish Examiner, the reigning Hurler of the Year said he has no plans to step away from inter-county hurling despite turning 32 next month.
McGrath, who started all four of Tipperary's Munster SHC games this year, said he fully intends to be part of the panel again next season.
"That's the plan at the moment," said McGrath, who is an ambassador for Comfort Keepers, the community impact partner of the GAA/GPA.
"We'll see what happens over the next couple of months but I've no immediate plans to be stepping away or anything anyway."
While speculation continues around the future of his older brother Noel McGrath, John echoed comments made by Liam Cahill following Tipperary's championship exit, saying the four-time All-Ireland winner is entitled to make his own decision on his future.
As things stand, McGrath revealed that no member of the current Tipperary squad has retired and he remains hopeful the entire group can return under Cahill for another campaign.
The Tipperary management team came under scrutiny following the county's early exit from the Munster Championship, with Cahill himself responding to criticism in the aftermath of the campaign.
Asked whether he believes Cahill is the right man to lead Tipperary forward, McGrath's support for the manager was unequivocal.
Reflecting on a season that failed to reach the heights of 2025, McGrath admitted the manner of Tipperary's exit has been difficult to process.
"It has been very different; it has been a tough few weeks, no doubt about it," John McGrath responds when asked to compare 2026 and 2025 as a Tipperary senior hurler.
The Loughmore-Castleiney attacker acknowledged that the disappointment of the Munster Championship campaign still lingers.
"From my 12 years or that, the good few times we've been knocked out, it's probably right up there as one of the tougher ones," he adds.
"Probably just the manner in which we went out. If you had to go down in a couple of tight games and get beaten, it might be a bit easier to accept and move on from.
"The major disappointment over the few weeks is probably the last two games where we shipped nice beatings, to put it mildly, that's the toughest aspect of it. Like anything, when you don't perform near what you hope or you think, it can be tough to take."
After surviving the Munster round-robin in 2025 and going on to enjoy a successful All-Ireland campaign, Tipperary were unable to find the same momentum this year.
McGrath believes the difference between success and failure at the highest level often comes down to the accumulation of small details.
"Small things make a huge difference, particularly if you add up a lot of them," McGrath says.
"I spoke about getting a couple of big beatings, I think it's probably just the accumulation of a lot of small things coming against us at the wrong times.
"When you're playing against good teams, you're open to be got at. Most of them won't give you a seconds thought, they will go for you when they see an opportunity.
"That's the way it has to be in Munster Championship. We just need to raise our level again, maybe, and we need to have a good think about ourselves, and a good look inside ourselves over the next couple of months to see where we want to be and where we want to go in the coming years."
Despite the disappointment of 2026, McGrath's commitment to another season and his confidence in Cahill's leadership will provide encouragement to Tipperary supporters as attention gradually turns towards 2027.