O’Shea so passionate about the Premier

There’s a spikiness about Eamon O’Shea.

That’s not a criticism. In his game, it goes with the territory. Hurling, that is. The lecture halls of NUI Galway, where he is a professor of economics, aren’t as adversarial as this gig.

As engaging and insightful as he is, there are occasions when he has felt it opportune to snap and snarl. The first example came after last year’s Championship exit to Kilkenny. “These will be men of honour in the future and any criticism these guys get is undeserved because these guys have put in a huge effort for Tipperary, a massive effort, yeah. Whatever happens, yeah, we just lost a game by three points, yeah. We didn’t lose what’s in Tipperary.”

After another loss to the Cats in last month’s Division 1 final, he told the media: “Anybody in this group and criticised this group of players, I think you need to think again.” When one reporter suggested Tipperary might be affected by the latest in a string of defeats to Kilkenny, he responded: “I don’t feel like you feel.”

At last week’s press conference in the Horse and Jockey Hotel, he was in ebullient form as he enraptured a flock of journalists. But there was the odd tense moment. Put to him that the league final performance vindicated his assertions things would come right for Tipperary, he retorted: “I don’t really do vindication. When I talk to anyone, I talk to my players. With all due respect, I don’t “talk” to anybody else, even when I’m talking to you,” he said holding your stare until you broke it.

Asked if living in Galway gave him perspective, he replied: “My heart is here (in Tipperary) and I know everything that happens here, there’s not a thing said or done here that I don’t know.”

Hardened him, this gig has surely, but he remains O’Shea the philosopher. But Bill Shankly he ain’t. “Most managers are now aware that it’s important that you’re aware of the wholeness of people’s lives, not just when they turn up in front of you for two hours or four hours. Most people would be aware of that. I don’t think I’m hugely different. It is important that we are aware — it’s very important in their lives, hurling. Life is more important than hurling.

“I really believe that this is simply handing on — it’s all the time about trying to push the thing on and giving it back. Because you don’t own it. The manager doesn’t own it and the players don’t own it. It’s part of a culture. That culture has been in for a long, long time here. What you try to do is make sure you don’t lose it but make sure it’s sustained. And that’s why it is important and the players do appreciate that. And they do know about it — and we do talk about it.”

He’s O’Shea the humble too. Looking back on last year’s defeat to Limerick, he takes full responsibility. “Between the league final and the Championship game against Limerick was a period where there were a lot of things going on, and I maybe I didn’t have the focus I should have had. You had club games, we needed to focus a little bit more, and I take some responsibility for that.”

As for Tipperary’s poor run of results in the middle of the league? He puts his hand up for that too. “I don’t blame people looking from the outside saying: ‘What’s wrong, this is not going well.’ From the inside, I knew we were trying to do the right things. Some of the things I did and tried didn’t come off so I knew I was causing some of the stuff that was going on.”

Sunday excites him, as he plays from a deck of cards that includes the “outstanding” Patrick ‘Bonnar’ Maher, the “got consistent” Seamus Callanan and the “really important” Gearoid Ryan.

What went on in Limerick last month, he insisted, won’t affect Tipperary. “The only team I can control is Tipperary, Limerick is nothing to do with us.”

Was Donal O’Grady’s departure indicative of the pressure on managers? “Well, it didn’t look good for me back in March!” he replies. Times change. O’Shea has too.