Sheedy: 2009 heartbreak is forgotten

TIPPERARY manager Liam Sheedy has insisted that his players have fully exorcised the demons of last September’s All-Ireland final defeat to Kilkenny.

A new season begins for Sheedy and his Munster champions this evening when the Premier County welcome defending champions Clare to Borrisoleigh for a Waterford Crystal Cup quarter-final clash (7.30pm).

The disappointment of the Kilkenny defeat still lingers in the minds of many spectators but Sheedy closed the door on last season during the recent pre-season holiday to Los Angeles and San Diego.

Sheedy said: “It’s nice to get back into competitive action.

“For us, it’s a chance to see some new players and that’s what the new season is all about.

“We’re looking to build on 2009. That’s over now and it moves on to 2010. We’re back training since last Sunday week and the lads are as enthusiastic as ever and looking to give it their best shot.

“We’ll face a stern challenge from Clare but with even more guys and young blood stepping up to the plate, we will have a more competitive environment.”

Sheedy has already been impressed by the early efforts of the new additions to his squad, namely David Young, Jody Brennan and Mikey Heffernan, but there is some concern about a knee injury sustained by another new player, John O’Neill.

There is some speculation that the Clonoulty-Rossmore player, a member of the Thurles CBS Harty Cup and All-Ireland winning teams last year, may have to undergo surgery for cruciate knee ligament damage.

Sheedy said: “At the moment it’s very much a training panel. In the next two or three months we’ll be taking a look at a lot of guys and everything is geared towards putting a league panel together and then our championship panel.

“I couldn’t fault for one moment the commitment of the 2009 and 2008 panels but when you’re involved with a group, you reassess and revisit. It’s quite normal for every set-up to look to freshen up and these new lads will bring competition. And their attitude and effort has been top class.”

Sheedy also hinted that Tipperary will attack every competition head-on this season, adding: “At the end of the day, you have three competitions, the Waterford Crystal, the national league and the championship. This is the third most important competition that’s there and you have to look at the bigger picture. We’ve got to use this to find and blood new talent and players. There’s two things you want to do – be competitive and win games but you have to make sure that you give all people involved a chance to impress. We can’t lose sight of that.”

CLARE (SH v Waterford): P Brennan; G O’Grady, C Dillon, A Brigdale; D O’Donovan, B O’Connell, P Donnellan; M Ogie Murphy, J Clancy; A Markham, J Conlon, F Lynch; M Flaherty, M Scanlon, A O’Brien.

TIPPERARY: TBC.