Liam Cahill: It’s time Tipperary got tough

Tipperary minor hurling boss Liam Cahill has revealed that parents of players rang to criticise him after their opening round defeat to Waterford.

Cahill’s Tipperary bounced back with a crucial Munster Minor Hurling Championship play-off win over Clare on Wednesday night which sets up a semi-final with Cork next month.

In the aftermath of that win over the Banner, Cahill opened up about the treatment he was subjected to from angry parents of some players who failed to get a game in the loss to the Déise.

Looking ahead to next month’s semi-final against Cork, Cahill said: “We are going to have to get an awful lot of things in order too — say with our team, our set-up and the young fellas, in particular, as well,” he began.

“We are going to have to get full buy-in from everybody, including a lot of these young players’ mothers and fathers.

“I have shipped a lot of criticism since the Waterford match and received a couple of phone calls from parents — I suppose it’s a parent’s nature to feel that their own geese are swans, but the bottom line is that we are in a competitive environment here in Tipp and not all geese are swans. That’s the bottom line.”

Cahill also revealed that the role of Tipperary minor hurling manager is as tough as it gets, as he has to prepare players in the best way possible to be ready to compete at under 21 and senior level and warns that players must be prepared to take some harsh words, both on the training field and at home.

“The bottom line is that this job I have is a big job,” he stressed.

“They can say that Michael Ryan has the biggest job in Tipp, but I have the biggest job preparing the next generation of young hurlers; the future hurlers for Tipperary. And, I am not going to send a group of young fellas soft up the line.

“Let’s be honest about it — there is no point in I handing players up to Michael Ryan or William Maher at U21 that are soft or not ready for the battle.

“And, they have to hear this at home as well and they have to understand that hurling will prepare them for everything. We are going to bring them in under the influence of Michael Bevans (minor coach) and prepare these fellas every way possible for the battle required to play inter-county hurling.

“It is something that will stand them in good stead in life as well.”

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