Mulvihill maintaining the Premier revival

DURING Brian Mulvihill’s underage days, he never had to look far for guidance and inspiration.

In the 90s, Moyle Rovers rose from peasantry to aristocracy in Tipperary football, claiming their first county crown in 1995 and proceeding to clean up four of the next five titles. When they moved outside of their local confines, they progressed as well. In the depths of November in 1998, they famously trekked into the heart of West Cork and dumped out Bantry Blues, and reached two Munster finals.

They never managed to cross the provincial frontier but those days had an effect on the fertile imaginations of football youngsters like Mulvihill. The fact that the side was teeming with inter-county men like John Owens and Derry Foley helped draw them in. But in Moyle Rovers, one star shone above the rest. Declan Browne to the rest of the world, Deccie to all the locals.

“Growing up he was the one guy above all we looked up to. Everything he did, getting the All-Stars and playing for Ireland, were huge things for all us. I remember people would go down to the pitch to watch the seniors training just to see Deccie play. He was pure class. He’d have had a big influence on me and I’d still ring him nearly once a week for advice and stuff.”

At inter-county level Browne soldiered away when rewards were scarce, but Mulvihill found himself immersed in a Tipperary football rising. Successive national league promotions, a Division 3 canister on the sideboard and the odd experience of entering a Munster SFC clash with Limerick tomorrow bearing the mantle of favouritism. Mulvihill is only 23 but in his fifth year pulling on a Tipperary senior shirt, he’s seen the previous darkness to make him appreciate the light.

“It’s unbelievable what’s happening. When I came on the panel first there was a lot of struggling in Division 4. We didn’t have the right attitude and confidence was really low. There were a couple of bad beatings those years against Tipperary and Cork.”

The renaissance can be traced to thriving at underage level. Minor and U21 Munster final appearances are no longer rarities, and last week Mulvihill donned a Maor Uisce bib and watched from the sideline as the county’s minors recorded a famous championship win over Cork. It all adds up to progress, but the lack of something tangible at the end still grates.

“The underage work has been excellent and it’s coming to fruition. We’ve been failing at that final hurdle the last few years. That’s why winning the Division 3 final was such a big thing.”

Tipp football has been garnering more column inches but it still has to be reflected in their fan base. Mulvihill reckons he knows all Tipperary’s hardcore football support on first-name terms and they were critical in helping eke out victories in Roscommon and Longford this spring. The other key variable has been the Killorglin totem at the head of their camp.

“I think what John Evans has done above all else is give players confidence. He put a great structure to the thing and now you have all the lads hopping mad to get into the team. With his history and background in football, you couldn’t but believe in him.”

The culture of success that Evans has suffused the squad with inspires them to maintain the commitment. For four years Mulvihill was a commerce student in UCC, dashing from Cork to Thurles during the week and cursing traffic jams in Fermoy and New Inn along the way. Now he’s based in Dublin as a trainee accountant in KPMG, inhabiting a mound of books as exams beckon, yet having no problem making the commute from the capital.

“It’s not too bad coming from Dublin because we get the train. There’s six of us on the panel, who meet up at Heuston about six and head to Thurles. I wouldn’t get back in the door to where I’m living in Dundrum until nearly 12. But when you’re winning it’s a lot easier. We haven’t done it in championship yet so there’s a big push there to stay successful. That starts against Limerick.”

Coming from Moyle Rovers, he knows no other way.