Michael Ryan defends Steven O’Brien’s role with Tipperary hurlers

Michael Ryan has defended Steven O’Brien’s inclusion in the Tipperary senior hurling panel in the wake of comments made by football selector Tommy Toomey.

Toomey bemoaned the lack of game-time given by Ryan to the Ballina man, a star in the U21 football team that Toomey guided to an All-Ireland final last year, who chose to commit to the hurlers this season.

Ryan responded: “I had Steven previously when we brought him in 2013 for a short period, no more than four or five months, but I saw something in Steven O’Brien that I thought was interesting to us but it needed to be developed. And that’s the difficult part in this — we wouldn’t be having a conversation or I don’t think it would be newsworthy if Steven crashed into the team and became a regular starter. That’s not the case.

“Steven is ambitious, be under no illusions, and we are talking about his development but he’s coming to compete. He doesn’t feel any differently, he isn’t treated any differently to the rest of the squad.”

Ryan was compelled to talk to O’Brien after the footballers beat Cork in their Munster semi-final, a game which Ryan attended.

“I felt I had to acknowledge the sacrifice Steven made in coming to throw his lot in with the hurlers.

“I think he appreciated it was acknowledged.”

Ryan allayed fears a quad muscle injury will rule Seamus Callanan out of Sunday week’s Munster SHC final against Waterford.

“He pulled up last week, he felt his quad and the sensible thing was to hold him and thankfully guys that get to Seamie’s age understand their bodies really well and he was able to make a good call and catch it before it becomes an issue.

“We have a very short turn-in.

“It’s three weeks to a Munster final and we simply wouldn’t have had him back if he had pulled it.”

Conor O’Brien and Barry Heffernan have returned to training since the semi-final win over Limerick.