Maher reflects on unseen transition to elder statesman

Turns out the transition happened when he wasn’t looking.

One minute you’re a young tearaway. The next you’re an elder statesman. Brendan Maher acknowledges the oddness of the switch.

“It’s a bit strange alright. I’d say last year, and the year before, when I was made vice-captain, I had lads coming to me for advice but I was thinking: ‘I’m still a young lad, why are they coming to me?’ The same last year when I was made captain.

“But I suppose a good few of us have been around for a fair while now. It takes a bit of getting used to but the way it is with the group, everybody know the job they have to do when they represent Tipperary — to be fully committed, to go out and express themselves.

“Nobody holds anybody’s hand. They all know what to do and because they’re in the group, they have toregard themselves as leaders.”

Maher’s quality meant youth wasn’t a barrier to promotion. Though he’s only 26, he’s had a fair amount of experience with the county seniorsalready.

“When I look back on it, since I joined the senior panel I’ve been in four All-Ireland finals and three league finals, but I’ve only one medal. When you look back upon your career it’s medals you’re looking for.

“You certainly wouldn’t be thinking we had a great year in 2014, because we didn’t win anything.”

The lack of trophies was remarked upon recently by his former teammate Eoin Kelly, who retired over the winter. Kelly pointed out that when a team wins a title it’s an endorsement of all the work that’s been done, and Maher agrees.

“Exactly. If you win silverware it shows you’re doing it right, that you gave everything you had — you have a medal that shows how successful the approach being taken is.

“That’s not the same as getting hung up on saying we have to win all around us. We’re going out to win every game we play but we’ll also be taking it one game at a time. If we perform to the level we know we can reach, then the success will flow from that.

“Eoin’s departure means other lads have to step up, absolutely, and that would have happened as much the last couple of years as well, with the likes of Declan Fanning, Brendan Cummins, Benny Dunne all stepping down. Those guys were great leaders on the team and in the dressing room.

“In the last couple of years the likes of myself and Paudie (Maher) and Bonner (Maher) are hitting 25, 26, and you’re changing from being the young fella to more leadership roles, as I said.

“Then other lads have stood up, the likes of James Barry, Cathal Barrett. They broke onto the team last year but it’s no good just a couple of lads doing it. You see that in any successful GAA team. They have 15 leaders on the field and there’s nobody looking around for someone else to do it; they all take that responsibility themselves.”

Responsibility suggests seriousness, which brings us round to recent comments by Joe Brolly. ‘Indentured slaves’ was the take-home phrase from the Derry man when describing intercounty players, and Maher applies his own circumstances to the debate.

“Obviously, this has been argued about a lot, and you could probably sit two people down on opposite sides of the argument and they wouldn’t agree if you gave them hours to talk it over.

“I can only speak for myself personally, and my approach is that nobody is forcing me to do what I do. I’d be interested in my own health and fitness anyway regardless of being involved in sport, so I’d have that as part of my lifestyle even if I wasn’t hurling.

“I couldn’t speak for everyone but I see it as part of my lifestyle. I certainly don’t see it as being a slave to anyone. It’s my choice and I enjoy it.”

He does concede that the biggest challenge is time management.

“That’s probably the one issue, finding the balance between gym work, ball work, yoga and pilates or whatever you’re doing to stay flexible — and on top of that, the different trainers and coaches are all trying to get their bit done, to stick to their programmes.

“Now, I’m lucky enough that I finish work at three o’clock, but there are plenty of lads around the country driving an hour to training and an hour back, straight to bed and then up early the following morning for work. So obviously there’s no real recovery time in their timetable.

“But as I said, you’re not being forced to play. It’s a challenge to manage things, but I wouldn’t go so far as to agree with Joe’s point about indentured slaves.”

For diversion the Borrisoleigh man relies on another sport.

“I follow the NFL. I would have been a 49ers fan because when I started watching I enjoyed watching them, but I don’t really have a team I’m a particular fan of. If it’s a Sunday evening and there’s a game on I’ll watch it.

“I stayed up for the Super Bowl. Well, the first half. But I’m interested in a lot of sports. It’s enjoyment rather than looking for something to take out of it in terms of preparation myself. There are great personalities involved in the NFL, and it’s nice to switch off from the hurling and just watch it.

“The same with Conor McGregor...”

Oh dear. Not another MMA addict...

“Ah, I’m not a huge fan or anything, but he’s enjoyable, an entertaining character.”

Tipp start their league campaign this Sunday against Dublin in Parnell Park, and while the championship is distant now, they won’t lack motivation given the way 2014 ended for them.