Tipp hurlers get tough

Tipperary’s hurlers have taken a leaf out of the Cork footballers’ book and endured an arduous boot camp on Bere Island.

Ahead of Sunday week’s All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny, Declan Ryan’s men travelled to West Cork the weekend before last, spending the Friday and Saturday undergoing military-like training at the army base in Bantry Bay.

A number of the exercises over the two days included a 15km run as well as lugging sand-bags.

However, a small number of players were unable to complete the training as they found it too severe.

Coach Ross Dunphy, who took over from Cian O’Neill at the end of last year, is an army officer and works in the physical education school in the Curragh camp.

Several of the panel were then involved in championship games with their clubs last Sunday week. In Easter 2010, five months before they won an All-Ireland title, Conor Counihan brought his team there where they were subjected to brutally-tough training.

Counihan credited the weekend, which involved trawling through nets and using medicine balls, as being key to Cork’s success.