Liam Sheedy: Rebels still rising but Tipp people are talking hurling again too

A worrying apathy had crept in among Tipperary supporters, but Liam Cahill has started conversations again.

CENTRAL FIGURE: Player of the match Ronan Maher of Tipperary after the league win over Cork in Thurles. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

At the end of Tipperary’s involvement in last year’s championship, I wrote a gloomy enough column about some of the things that needed to be done to arrest hurling’s slide in the county. The most worrying symptom was the apathy creeping in among supporters. In a place that eats and breathes hurling, people weren’t travelling to matches. Even the inquest into defeat lacked the passion and desperation we are used to. The headline read: ‘We just can’t presume that Tipperary people will always talk hurling.’ 

Well Liam Cahill has started conversations again. Tipp people are talking about this team and they are piling into their cars again to travel. The internet was melting down on Wednesday with people trying to grab Munster Championship tickets. The only pity is that all of the allocation for the League final went online, because I know plenty of Tipp people who were unable to secure anything for this Sunday.