Sheedy's call for Tipperary fans for support the hurlers ahead of NHL

Ahead of the commencement on the 2019 Allianz National Hurling League on Saturday evening next in Semple Stadium, Tipperary Manager Liam Sheedy has called on the people of the county to get behind the team and ensure that a big attendance is there to cheer on the blue and gold.

The new Tipperary jersey will be on view for the first time and in many ways, a new Tipperary will be on view also. Certainly, the Sheedy era will be different, but he will still want his men to rekindle the spirit engendered by his predecessors when capturing the All-Ireland title in 2016. And, the Portroe man is very happy with what he has seen so far in the nine weeks of hard work which, in many ways, has been an eye opener for him.

“I am very happy with training so far and with how the players have applied themselves physically. I am really looking forward now to the first three rounds of the league, because that will tell us where we are as a team and as a group,” he said this week, adding that these games will give a chance for players to show what they can do.

Acknowledging that the Co-Op Superstore Munster Senior Hurling League was good for Tipperary and afforded the opportunity to examine players in close quarter, the manger expressed concern about the manner in which goals were leaked in the final, but was also quick to point out that the heavy training underway at the time accounted for much of the lethargy.

“We weren't happy with the goals we leaked in the final. We felt that three of them could have been avoided and when you cough up four goals in a match , especially after a good enough start for us, it's always going to be hard to win games. But, the league was a very very useful exercise for us because we weren't playing with a full hand and we got to look at things,” he says, name checking a number of players who got much valued game time including Barry Hogan, Killian O'Dwyer, Colin English, Jake Morris and Mark Kehoe in particular.

As the season progresses and spring arrives, Liam, Tommy Dunne and Darragh Egan will want to see the fog lifting on their squad and greater clarity emerging. Presently, team personnel is very much up in the air but by the time the league campaign comes to an end, Liam wants to be in a position where 12/13 of the team places have been nailed down. But, he is also very conscious that a strong squad is necessary and this can only be achieved if there is competition for every single position on the field.

“The process continues and when we get to the end of the league, we want to be able to say that we know the 12/13 players who have nailed down a place in the team. We still have about twelve players to come back to training after injury but we have learned a lot already about the group in terms of our approach. It is all about trying to be right so that by the start of the championship, we are fit, hungry and ready for what will come at us. My task and job is to time that right and make sure that everybody is ready and good to go.

“I would be very happy with the level of belief that exists within the group that on their day they can get to the level of any team. The challenge is to get there more consistently and to have the effort, the energy and the drive at its best,” he says.

With the influx of new blood into the squad - many of last years u-21's - Liam references the “lovely spirit” which is building up. However, he admits that many of those players found the physical work very challenging and their character was certainly tested in the last nine weeks.

“I'd be very happy with the quality of player we have right now. I'd be more concerned if I was sitting here and saying there is a lack of effort. But that's not the case and the spirit needs to be right because the next few weeks will test them. Our job now is to gel the new players with the experienced ones and it is really important to get the spine of the team right. There is no position that I would look at now and say that I don't have somebody for it, but we need to have healthy competition. We have some work to do to the spine of our team, but the effort that is being put in is huge and these guys really want to represent their clubs and their county to the highest standard. We can't ask for much more,” he says.