Kelly: Tipp have no issues with referees

Eoin Kelly says he and his Tipperary team-mates have “no complaints” about refereeing standards in modern hurling.

There has been much debate recently about physicality in hurling and how the game is handled, but Kelly said Tipperary have no issue with officials in that regard.

“We wouldn’t have any complaints in Tipperary about refereeing, you wouldn’t hear Tipperary players complain about refereeing.

“Take the last three All-Ireland finals we hurled in, we wouldn’t have any complaints there. There was nothing wrong at all with those games. My approach to the whole thing would be if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. I certainly don’t hear our manager or selectors complain about it, so I don’t think it’s anything that we have an issue with.”

Speaking at the Centra Brighten Up Your Day Community event in Tipperary, Kelly said the Premier County would have to improve on their performance against Limerick in the Munster SHC first round.

“Championship games are there to be won, pure and simple. Declan Ryan is always saying we have a squad of 20 players, and some lads might feel at times that that’s just a cliche to make lads feel better about training, but it’s not, and you saw the proof of that against Limerick.

“The five subs who came on for us that day turned the game in our favour, and if it weren’t for them we wouldn’t be heading down to play Cork, there’s no point in beating around the bush about it. There was a bit of a breeze there and maybe it wasn’t as warm as you might have thought, but irrespective of the conditions there were a few of us who didn’t perform on the day.

“We needed an injection of pace, a few guys who wanted to prove themselves, and it’s nice for Declan (Ryan) and the backroom to see that. The other side, of course, is that 50 minutes like the first 50 minutes we produced the last day wouldn’t be good enough against Cork.

“You wouldn’t get away with that against the likes of them or Kilkenny because at the end of the day I’d say it was Limerick’s inexperience which caught them.”

Kelly and his colleagues face Cork in the Munster semi-final, and the Leesiders will want to improve on their poor showing against Kilkenny in the Allianz Hurling League final.

“Cork are coming in on the back of that heavy defeat so they’ll be busting to get out of the blocks,” says Kelly. “That’s natural — you don’t perform in a game, you’re mad to get out there the next day and show your true form, if you like. Páirc Uí Chaoimh isn’t an easy venue to get a win out of, and there wasn’t much between us in the league.

“It’s a huge challenge for us but we’re delighted to have a game under our belt, and a win in particular. We’re in a healthy position in the sense that lads are chomping at the bit to get onto the team now.”

One of those players is Lar Corbett, now back in harness after his brief withdrawal from the Tipp squad.

Was his absence a distraction in the build-up to the Limerick game?

“In one way it was but Lar said why he wasn’t playing, which put it to bed with us. It’s just that some guys couldn’t let it rest. We were delighted when he came back, it was a huge boost because of the attitude he brings to the thing — he knows he’s not going to walk back onto the team, and even against Limerick when he was the water-carrier, it was great to see the passion he showed. That’s the kind of character he is, even if he’s carrying the water against Cork the next day he’ll give it 100%.”