Mick Roche was a Tipperary ‘colossus’

Former team-mate Len Gaynor has paid tribute to the memory of the late Tipperary hurling legend Mick Roche, whose death was announced yesterday at the age of 73.

Gaynor was shocked to hear the news of Roche’s passing, and described him as a “colossus” of a player, patrolling and controlling the middle third of the field.

Roche, who won three All-Ireland senior medals, five Munster titles and three National League crowns during the course of a glittering career, has become renowned for his exploits at centre back but Gaynor remembers him as a peerless midfielder.