This year will surely go down in hurling lore as the Year of the Helmet. In an All-Ireland series marked by contentious helmet incidents, Austin Gleeson last weekend saw fit to give us one more: right in front of a linesman and right in front of a camera, arguably the most clear-cut incident yet.

To grasp just how novel this upcoming All-Ireland final will be, you need only look at the sideline and the profile of the two selectorial teams compared to who was there last year, writes Kieran Shannon.

Michael Ryan says he and his Tipperary management team have found fate “to be fickle” this year and believes it has replenished the group’s appetite to retain their All-Ireland title.

At around 4.15am yesterday morning, some boy-racer thought the Ennis-Kilrush road was Siverstone or Mondello Park. The car started doing donuts, the screeching tyres laying assault to my eardrums. I had to be up at 6.30 anyway to meet the Limerick minor bus at 8 but that was my night’s sleep done and dusted.

It’s a long time since a Tipperary defensive unit went through Munster SHC campaign intact, even a successful one at that.

Drom-Inch and Loughmore-Castleiney progressed to the Mid Tipp SHC final with comfortable wins over Holycross-Ballycahill and Moycarkey-Borris at Boherlahan.

A lack of defensive fundamentals, rather than opponents’ creativity, often decides a game. Cork must be robust but flexible at the back in Thurles, writes Donal O’Grady.

Declan Fanning knew Seamus Callanan was marked out for greatness from the moment he was left out of the starting team for the 2010 All-Ireland senior hurling final.

Seamus Callanan rejects the idea Tipperary are in transition following the departure of Eamon O’Shea as manager and mass retirements over the winter.

Tipperary minor manager Liam Cahill believes some former stars have “failed” their county by refusing to get involved in the coaching of underage teams.

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

Tipperary management insist Ian Fahey will play in the EirGrid All-Ireland U21 football semi-final against Dublin next Saturday.

Turns out the transition happened when he wasn’t looking.

The Tipperary senior hurling team will have a new manager in 2016 after Michael Ryan was formally ratified at last night’s County Board meeting in Thurles to succeed Eamonn O’Shea.

Tipperary senior hurling team manager Eamon O’Shea is "delighted" Michael Ryan will succeed him in the Premier County hot-seat after the conclusion of the 2015 campaign.

It’s almost that time of year again when clubs put forward motions to county conventions, but 2014 is slightly different.

Michael Ryan will succeed Eamon O’Shea as Tipperary senior hurling team manager next year.

Tipperary senior hurling champions, Loughmore-Castleiney suffered a shock defeat in the Mid Division’s SHC semi-final, losing to Upperchurch -Drombane 2-19 to 1-21 after extra-time at Templemore yesterday.

Former Tipperary defender Declan Fanning has accused county board officials of not realising what it takes to prepare for an All-Ireland final after calls for the postponement of the weekend’s scheduled club fixtures were rejected.

Embattled Tipperary manager Eamon O’Shea accepts that there is an “edgy” feel to his team’s play ahead of next Sunday’s make-or-break Allianz Hurling League fixture against Dublin at Semple Stadium.

The claustrophobic nature of Division 1A means the conversation about Tipperary this time next week could very well change to the prospect of quarter-finals.

New Tipperary senior hurling captain Brendan Maher has called on the Premier County to kickstart a new era. Maher, 24, was named on Monday evening, with Noel McGrath from senior champions Loughmore-Castleiney vice-captain.

Tipperary star Brendan Maher has called on the Premier County’s young guns to step up to the plate following the retirement of 38-year-old goalkeeper Brendan Cummins.

Loughmore-Castleiney 2-17 Killenaule 1-15

Tipperary’s Brendan Cummins has given a big indication he is considering retiring from inter-county hurling.

Two injury-time points gave Clonmel Commercials a 1-8 to 1-6 victory over great rivals Clonmel Óg in the Tipperary SFC at Monroe on Saturday evening.

A shot at Tipperary should provide plenty of motivation

At this stage of the league semi-finals the remaining team managers have different needs.

Former Tipperary defender Declan Fanning says Eamon O’Shea is exactly the type of manager the players need after their hugely disappointing All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kilkenny last month.

Eamon O’Shea was ratified as Tipperary’s new senior hurling team manager at a county board meeting in Thurles last night.

A delighted Shane McGrath took to Twitter following Mayo’s win over Dublin last month.

Roscrea justified their favourites’ tag with a comprehensive 4-13 to 1-9 win over Cashel in the second round of the Tipperary SHC at Templemore last night.

Lar Corbett’s former manager Ken Hogan and team-mate Declan Fanning believe the player could return to Tipperary colours if he is given time to consider his decision to withdraw from the panel.

IT was a contented Nickey Brennan that greeted the media in the foyer of Melbourne’s Grand Hyatt Hotel the Monday morning after Ireland’s emphatic first Test win over Australia.

TIPPERARY are on the lookout for a new physical coach following Cian O’Neill’s decision to step down from his backroom position after four seasons with the county.

RECENTLY retired Kilkenny star Martin Comerford has surprisingly claimed the Cats shouldn’t have been awarded a penalty in the 2009 All-Ireland final against Tipperary.

DECLAN RYAN would have preferred a fit Brendan Maher at the start of this season but his return to action has given him plenty of stick to use against Seamus Callanan.

LAST YEAR'S epic showdown marked Tipperary’s Declan Fanning and Kilkenny’s Martin Comerford last game. Speaking separately, they recollect two of the greatest finals in the history of the game.

2010 Young Hurler of the Year, Brendan Maher, has been unable to break into the Tipperary starting 15 for next Sunday’s All-Ireland final against Kilkenny.

CLONOULTY-Rossmore defender John O’Keeffe will make his senior intercounty hurling championship debut in Sunday’s Munster quarter-final clash against Cork after being named in Tipperary’s starting side last night.