Eimear Ryan: Noel McGrath's quiet, unshowy genius can steady Tipp ship

The newly appointed Tipperary hurling captain can sometimes turn the course of the game so quickly and subtly that you need to rewind the tape to fully give him credit

VISION: Noel McGrath's vision and his wrists are his greatest assets, sometimes turning the course of the game so quickly and subtly that you need to rewind the tape to fully give him credit. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

It’s been very enjoyable leafing through All On the Line, the new autobiography by Padraic Maher. Written with Michael Moynihan of this parish, it’s an ideal stocking stuffer for the sports fan in your life. A frequent touchstone throughout is the ‘06 minors’, the Liam Sheedy-managed Tipperary team that beat Galway – spearheaded by a young Joe Canning – in the 2006 minor final. 

The team featured Paudie at full-back and Brendan Maher at corner-back; Seamus Callanan came on as a sub in the final, and a 15-year-old Noel McGrath was a member of the panel. The following year, Bonner Maher joined them when they put two titles back-to-back. These five remarkable players have been key to Tipp’s last three senior All-Irelands.