Eimear Ryan: Only last week of May but winter is here for lesser-spotted Tipp fan

Tipp either battled well before fading in the final ten minutes or were blitzed from early on by a fitter team. Conditioning is something for Tipp to work on over their long winter

Noel McGrath of Tipperary in action against Shane Kingston of Cork. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Winter is here. Never mind that we’re only in the last week of May, that we haven’t even hit midsummer solstice yet; for Tipp and Waterford and Dublin and Laois and Westmeath fans, the long hurling hibernation until 2023 begins.

I’m a Tipp fan, so while the temptation to throw my hurleys out of the pram is fierce, I know that we can have no real complaints about our season. Sure, we were unlucky with injuries, but so were a lot of teams.