Maher’s Tipp young guns hunting double

History is in the making at Páirc Uí Chaoimh tomorrow as Tipperary target a first Electric Ireland Munster MHC success since 2007.

A trawl through the record books shows the Premier County has not achieved a minor football-hurling provincial double since 1955 — but the dual feat will be achieved tomorrow if William Maher’s young guns can dethrone champions Clare.

The minor footballers fulfilled their end of the bargain last Sunday in memorable fashion against Kerry at the Gaelic Grounds and seven members of that victorious squad are also members of the hurling panel.

Maher is also hoping to join a select band of men who have captained and managed teams to Munster minor glory. In 1996, Maher skippered Tipp to provincial and All-Ireland honours.

“I feel absolutely brilliant about the whole thing,” he beamed this week. “I can’t wait for it. It’s like anything that’s important to you — you get excited about it.”

Maher is anticipating a ferocious battle with Clare, who are looking to claim a third successive provincial title.

“They’re the benchmark in Munster for the last two or three years,” Maher acknowledged, “and rightly so.”

But Tipp’s devastating semi-final win over Waterford sees them installed as favourites. Maher insists Waterford, who lost by 19 points, could have been closer at the finish but Clare manager Eamon Fennessy was hugely impressed.

“It was no surprise to me,” he said. “We played them earlier in the year in a challenge and Tipp won by 18 points. I’ve seen this Tipp team come through from U16 and I know quite a bit about them. “And they’ve definitely come on since then.

Physically, we’re not as big and strong as them and that [physicality] cost us against Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final last year.”

Having served as a selector for the previous three seasons, Fennessy took over as team manager this year from Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor, who moved up to take control of the U21s.

Fennessy added: “We only have four of the team from last year. We had to start with a brand new panel and find a squad to compete at this level.

“We had a lot of work to do but we have a very strong development squad system started by Seán O’Halloran.”

TIPPERARY (v Clare): P Maher; J Peters, M Breen, R Maher; D Fitzelle, T Hamill, B Heffernan; B Maher (capt), T Gallagher; S Cahill, J Shelly; S O’Brien; M McCarthy, J McGrath, S Ryan.