Tipp boss Ryan rallies young charges for Déise battle

THE statistics paint a positive picture for Tipperary minor boss Raymie Ryan as he prepares his charges for tonight’s Munster MHC first-round tie against Waterford.

The Premier County collected the last two All-Ireland U16 hurling titles but Ryan is adamant those successes are not an automatic precursor to minor glory. “It can be misleading,” he said. “Two of our selectors have come forward from those U16 teams and while they’d say it was a great achievement, they admit it is hugely different to minor.

“That is still only a tournament run over a weekend whereas this is a championship run over a five-month period. There are a whole lot of factors whereby players have commitments between club and county teams.”