We’ll start with the context. Nothing occurs in a vacuum.

Patience, asserted Eamon O’Shea, was the key to unlocking Waterford’s much vaunted counter-attacking system and delivering Tipperary a first Munster crown under his watch.

Tipperary 4-23 Limerick 1-16: Did we see the All-Ireland finalists yesterday?

“Why would it mean something to me?” enquired Eamon O’Shea when asked what this 16-point victory meant to the Tipperary manager.

Recently-retired Tipperary defender Paul Curran has accepted a position on manager Eamon O’Shea’s backroom team for the championship summer.