Tipp without Stephen Quirke in bid for redemption

The Tipperary minor hurlers will be without talisman Stephen Quirke for Sunday’s provincial decider against Limerick.

The Tipperary captain suffered a knee injury in the first-half of their Munster semi-final win over Clare and did not appear after the interval.

Manager Liam Cahill says the injury is not as serious as initially feared and indicated that the Moyle Rovers centre-forward could feature if Tipp remain alive in the All-Ireland championship beyond July.

“We were worried initially after the Clare game that he might have ruptured his ACL, but thankfully it is a six to eight week recovery,” revealed Cahill.

“While it is bad on the young fella to be missing a Munster final, it is an injury that can be sorted relatively quickly.

“This is where the strength-in-depth of your panel comes into play. We hope Sunday will prove we have a decent panel. Cork were dealt a similar blow ahead of their semi-final meeting with Limerick with their captain Shane Kingston being ruled out.”

Tipperary are buoyed by the return of Darragh Peters, the Kilruane MacDonaghs left-half back assuming the captaincy role in the absence of Quirke.

“It is a big plus to have Darragh return,” said Cahill.

“He picked up an injury against Kilkenny in a challenge down in Nowlan Park 10 days before the Clare game. It was a ligament injury and he wasn’t able to make it back on time. He is after getting an extra week and a half under his belt. He’s a big presence in our defence and we’ll need him given the strength of the Limerick attack.”

Eight members of Cahill’s panel were part of the Tipperary minor football squad overcome in Killarney last Sunday and the manager says switching focus hasn’t been an issue.

“Most lads don’t get a chance at redemption so soon after a Munster final defeat. They really want to win a Munster title.”