‘You write Tipperary hurling off at your peril. Today’s victory isn’t a surprise’

FINE-TUNING the engine is one thing. A rebuild is altogether more complicated, but Babs Keating may just have pulled it off.

After a lacklustre league campaign, Keating and his selectors were under pressure from both inside and outside the Premier to come up with a team to restore pride in Tipp hurling.

Yesterday he did that, and then some. Tipperary supporters are demanding at the best of times, but as they filed out of Thurles yesterday, they had a long summer on their minds.