Woodlock eager to make up for lost time

THE new season is a few weeks old but already we may have seen the most welcome good-news story of 2011.

At half-time in Tipperary’s loss to WIT in the preliminary round of the Waterford Crystal senior hurling tournament on Sunday, James Woodlock was introduced and almost immediately made an impact with a surging run before passing to fellow midfielder Seán Casey for a fine point.

For the Tipperary supporters who had travelled to Clonmel to see the All-Ireland champions in action for the first time this year, and for new manager Declan Ryan especially, it was a heartening sight to see Woodlock back in business after a miserable 15 months on the sidelines.