McGrath steps up as Tipp reap benefit of under-age success

IT’S not an absolute rule in the GAA, but when you look back through the breakthrough teams at senior level, very often they were preceded by, or accompanied by, a successful underage team.

The great Tipperary senior hurling team of the early 1960s followed on from minor success in 1952, ‘53, ‘55, ‘56, ‘57, ‘59, then an U21 success in 1964, the inaugural year of that grade.

In 1966, Cork were All-Ireland senior and U21 champions having been minor champions in ‘64; the great Kilkenny team of the early ‘70s were also champions at minor (1972, ‘73, ‘75, ‘77) and U21 (1974, ‘75, ‘77); the Cork three-in-a-row team of the late ‘70s, All-Ireland minor champions (1970, ‘71, ‘74, ‘78, ‘79) and U21 (1968, ‘69, ‘70, ‘71, ‘73, ‘76).

The Tipperary team to face Waterford in this Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final has several members of the winning sides from 2006 and 2007; most of those players also figure on the Tipperary U21 team that recently won the Munster title, and will now be bidding to win Tipp’s first title at that grade since 1995.

The most prominent of those U21s is probably free-scoring Noel McGrath, still only 19 but already an All-Star, in his second full senior season, the dual demand is no problem – in fact it’s all a pleasant diversion from the senior duties. “We went down to Cork (Munster semi-final win) and got out by the skin of our teeth, then another titanic battle in the Munster final, against Clare. It took us a while to get going but when we did, I thought we performed very well. It was a huge match to win, against Clare – they were All-Ireland champions, and to beat them in Thurles was big.

“I’m delighted with that, qualified for another All-Ireland semi-final (along with the senior) – you couldn’t ask for any more at this time of the year. With so many lads on both the senior and U21 panels, winning the U21 was a big thing for us all.

“It brings momentum, and with the win over Galway (in the All-Ireland senior quarter-final), then the good win against Clare in the U21, there’s a feelgood factor around the county for the last few weeks – it helps, yes.”

The irony is that while U21 can be such an important step on the road to senior success, and has thrown up classic encounters in every season, a couple of years ago a high-powered Croke Park committee recommended its abolition, the minor and U21 grades to be replaced by a new grade at U19. Burnout, said the report, but that’s rubbish according to McGrath.

“It’s good in a way that I’m able to play all those matches, it would be a lot worse if I was sitting at home watching on, especially at this time of the year, with the All-Ireland semi-finals coming up.

“I enjoy playing, and when you’re enjoying what you’re doing you don’t feel tired. For me it’s no problem, I’m just happy we’ve progressed so far, still contesting for honours at this time of the year.”

Waterford too have had a lot of underage success, two All-Ireland colleges titles won by De La Salle, Munster minor champions in 2009, U21 Munster finalists in 2007 and ‘09, and McGrath could well find himself being marked at some stage this Sunday by the tenacious Noel Connors, star of those De La Salle teams, or perhaps crossing swords with Tony Browne, who made his senior debut only a few months after McGrath was born.

“Waterford have been there for so long, 10 or 11 years at the very top and they’re still there. They have such big players – we know it’s going to be a tough task. We played them in the Munster final last year, only four points in it. They’re a good team, Munster champions, they’ve beaten Cork. We’re looking forward to it but we don’t underestimate the task.”

And the Croke Park factor? “It’s a great place to play, the place you want to be – getting used to it I suppose, but it would be even nicer if we could win. It’s different going up there, but you have to block that out – you’re going up there to hurl, you’re not going up for anything else.”