‘Babs’ returns to the Premier division

ELEVEN years after hastily resigning as Tipperary hurling manager, Michael ‘Babs’ Keating is back at the helm.

His appointment for a two-year term was approved at a meeting of the County Board in Thurles last night, as was his nomination of former protegé Mullinahone's John Leahy and Thurles Sars' Tom Barry as co-selectors.

Keating takes over from Ken Hogan.

Keating, one of the most colourful personalities in the game, is credited with putting Tipperary hurling 'back on the map' after the breakthrough win over Cork in the Munster final replay of 1987. He led them to All-Ireland successes in 1989 and 1991, over Antrim and Kilkenny respectively, before walking away in May of '94 following their surprise defeat by Clare in the first round of the championship.

Keating won three All-Ireland medals as a player. He also gained renown as a Gaelic footballer and was a member of the Munster team (including Mick O'Connell, Mick O'Dwyer and Billy Morgan) which won the Railway Cup title in 1972.

Once it became public that the Tipperary executive wanted to appoint a new management team, it was believed that they would chase either Keating or Nicky English, who was manager when the county won the last of its 25 All-Ireland titles in 2001. It's understood that business and family commitments ruled English out.

Without elaborating on his reasons for coming back, Keating accepts that he faces a different type of challenge to the one that confronted him back in 1986. In the sense that he has been 'somewhat critical' of the former management, he realises he will have to prove that he can do better.

After walking away from the job in 1994 (when Tipp had to play without the injured English and Leahy, who tore a calf muscle playing with the county footballers), Keating took over in Offaly three years later. However, he resigned in controversy after criticising the team's form in the Leinster final in a newspaper interview. Offaly brought in Michael Bond and, remarkably, he inspired a surprise All-Ireland victory over Kilkenny.

Keating isn't prepared to discuss Tipperary's prospects until he and his selectors meet with the press in a week or two. But, he knows that it will may take something special to knock Cork off their perch.

"As the records show, consecutive All-Irelands are hard to win, not to mind three-in-a-row,'' he stated.

As a guest at the Rebels' victory dinner following their win over Galway, he gained an appreciation of why they have been so successful. He saw the 'other bit of the jigsaw' that drink was not part of their culture.

On record as stating that he had no argument with the behaviour of the teams he coached between 1986 and 1994, it's clear that he will be looking for a special commitment from the Tipperary players if they want to be high achievers like John Allen's side.

Tom Barry won a Munster Minor Hurling medal with Tipp in 1973 at wing-back and played in the 1981 Munster SHC in the same position. He hurled with Thurles Sars from 1974-87, winning a county title in his first year.