Pick hurling or football, Liam Cahill tells Tipperary minors

Tipperary minor hurling manager Liam Cahill has given players the ultimatum of picking hurling or football this year but not both.

Dual players will not be tolerated by Cahill as he goes about trying to improve on Tipperary’s All-Ireland final appearance and Munster title win last season.

Cahill last year shared nine players with his football equivalent Charlie McGeever — Jack Skehan, Tommy Lowry, Emmett Moloney, Tommy Nolan, Alan Tynan, Ross Peters, Brian McGrath, Stephen Quirke, and Michael Connors — as the county reached both deciders.

Such a decision was on the cards following last September’s defeat to Galway after which pundit Ger Loughnane claimed some of Cahill’s side were footballers trying to play hurling.

Two weeks later, five of the team lined out against Kerry in the football final.

Last November, Cahill gave a strong indication he would take steps to gain the sole dedication of players this season. “It’s the elephant in the room the whole time if we’re really being honest about it. The Tipperary public know exactly where my views are on it, even prior to the All-Ireland, at the start of last year.”

Already this season, the senior footballers have lost the services of Steven O’Brien and Seamus Kennedy to the hurlers although neither have seen any league action so far under Michael Ryan.

Tipperary’s minor hurlers face Cork or Waterford in a Munster play-off late next month while the minor footballers take on Cork in a Munster quarter-final on April 13.

Elsewhere, a pitch inspection at Sean Treacy Park is expected to go ahead today ahead of the Tipperary-Kildare Allianz Division 3 game scheduled to take place at the Tipperary town venue this Sunday. There are some concerns about the standard of the pitch despite the recent dry weather.

Meanwhile, Clare hurler John Conlon says the week leading up to Sunday’s win over Limerick was the first time Conlon felt “a lot of pressure” before a game this year as Davy Fitzgerald’s side succeeded in maintaining their 100% record to return to Division 1A one season after relegation.

“In Division 1B, there isn’t as much pressure on you,” the Clonlara man admitted. “It’s nice to get a bit of momentum going earlier on in the year, especially when the conditions are tough. Last week in training the buzz was electric as we knew the big games were coming again.

“The new setup that Davy has brought in is second to none. Davy’s the nucleus behind it all.”

Conlon has credited selector and coach Dónal Óg Cusack as bringing a bit of swagger to the group. “Dónal Óg has brought that bit of character and sure, if you want to put it, Cork cockiness in a way. It’s really stood to us.”