Going through the pain barrier

SUCH is the competition for places in the Tipperary senior hurling camp that players are often operating through the pain barrier to secure a starting berth.

Captain Eoin Kelly has received injections to ease his back problems and line out to serve the county cause.

But he is not alone. Veteran forward John O’Brien suffered a back injury ahead of their first-round Munster SHC game against Cork last month. Despite the discomfort O’Brien made sure he was fit for battle.

“It wasn’t a gamble,” he recalled. “The boys (selectors) gave me time to get it right. When it came to the day and the adrenaline was flowing it felt a good bit better, and you don’t want to miss out on those days.

“I wasn’t 100% but it wasn’t too bad either. When you get picked to play you want to play no matter what but you are not going to be stupid either; if I wasn’t close to 100% I wasn’t going to play but you do have that (fear) deep down because you know the panel and the bench is so strong and if someone gets in they are more than likely going to hold onto their place because the talent is there. A lot of work is done off the field to keep and get yourself right because the competition in very healthy, and you have to watch yourself. It’s about getting runs and holding onto the jersey.”

The pressure for places is coming from youngsters like Patrick Maher, or ‘Bonner’ as he’s known in Tipperary.

A big, powerful player, Maher is one of those guys who, when the opening whistle sounds, immediately hits fever pitch and remains there until the final blast. In the win over Cork, when the Rebels had mounted a strong second-half comeback to come close to Tipp with only minutes remaining, it was ‘Bonner’ who picked the pocket of Cork full-back Eoin Cadogan, before setting up Benny Dunne for the game’s decisive goal.

“He’s a serious man to work,” says O’Brien of his younger charge. “He goes into tackles when you think he has no chance of getting the ball. Eoin Cadogan had no idea he wasn’t going to come out with that ball. It was a great tackle and well won and it sealed the win. ‘Bonner’s’ work rate is serious, his distribution of the ball is very good, and he’s starting to pick up a few more scores as well. He’s a great man to have around. He’s going to give 100% and you know he’s going to chase every ball down and that’s infectious.

“You see it in training, a lot of guys are working hard. Noel McGrath and Seamie Callanan did a lot of work the last day, so die Eoin (Kelly) and Larry (Corbett).

“There’s a lot of work being put in chasing and making unselfish runs and it has a lot to do with the workrate around the middle.”

That workrate is going to be needed again tomorrow against Clare. Tipperary are hot favourites but if they take too much notice of all that’s being written up about them and being written down about Clare, then they could find themselves in a right battle.

O’Brien agreed: “A lot of people are (writing Clare off) but we’re definitely not. Last year we played them in a practice match in Borrisileigh and they gave us a bit of a trimming. In 2009 we only won by two points and in the last puck of the game it could have gone Clare’s way. We went on to compete in the All-Ireland final that year so Clare aren’t far away. They’re coming good, won an All-Ireland U21 two years ago and a lot of those players are a year older.

“The one thing that strikes me is that you wouldn’t know that they were young because of their size, they’re big men. They’ve done their work in the gym over the last two years. They’ve bulked up, they are men now. They’re going well and we expect a tough one.”

Picture: John O’Brien: “I wasn’t 100% against Cork, but it wasn’t too bad either. When you get picked to play you want to play no matter what, but you are not going to be stupid either.” Picture: Sportsfile