Shane McGrath: Tipperary will be driven by critics

Ex-Tipperary captain Shane McGrath senses Liam Sheedy’s team are driven by the negativity that followed their middling league campaign and disappointing 2018 Championship.

As they head to Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday looking for their first provincial win under the new round-robin structure, the two-time All-Star midfielder feels the county are coming into the competition under the radar after losing their Division 1 quarter-final to Dublin in March.

Speaking at RTÉ’s Championship preview yesterday, McGrath said: “I think Tipp are going into it in a good way in that there’s not much being said about them and the expectation outside the group would be that lads are coming towards the end, they’re too old and have a lot of miles on the clock…

“I think that will suit the boys, I think they’re coming in this year with probably two or three guys who will start this year who mightn’t have been ready to start last year.

“Just take Jake Morris, for example, he did fine last year and, look, if he had scored the goal against Clare he would have been an absolute hero. But he’s after maturing a lot, he’s after getting physically stronger and there’s one guy who will feature.

“From the reports he’ll be there or thereabouts as a starter.

So I think Tipp are going into it in a very, very good way. And you can’t take for granted what Sheedy brings to a group. I mean, he just has you feeling 10 feet tall. You have every one of those guys from 1 to 33 or 34 on the panel feeling like they have something to offer on the day and I think if you have that within the group, it’s worth you anything.

While seeing Limerick as the team to beat, McGrath feels the Tipperary camp is a good place to be at the minute.

“The backroom team he has with him as well, Darragh Egan is a brilliant coach. Tommy Dunne, Eamon (O’Shea) is coming in and getting involved as well… these are guys that just bring positivity to a dressing room. As someone said to me before, there are no energy zappers in that dressing room. There is no-one saying, ‘Oh, you’re not going great’. Everything is positive.”

McGrath knows from experience that losing in Cork first day out doesn’t mean the end of the world — Tipperary recovered from a defeat in Páirc Uí Chaoimh to claim an All-Ireland nine years ago. That being so, he can’t stress enough the importance of a win.

“The last time we won a big Championship game was probably the 2016 (All-Ireland) final. What that would mean, the relief and the pressure that goes off players, if you can finally get a big win in the Championship.

“Look at Limerick, they are playing with a freedom this year that we didn’t see last year and they’re trying things. They nearly had to win that All-Ireland last year because it was so long and now they’ve won it I think the pressure is off them and they can just go and express themselves. I think if this Tipp team can get a win, be it down in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, you will see a release of tension in energy from the group and they might just go out and start expressing themselves more. Because last year I felt they wanted the win so bad they nearly wanted it too much.”

Doing well away from Semple Stadium has extra significance for Tipperary when their opponents love Thurles, McGrath argues. Recent remedial work to the pitch has also deprived them of training on the sod.

“Talk to any of the Munster boys, Kilkenny, they love playing in Thurles so the home advantage for Tipp, without making any excuses for them, is not as big as it is for other teams. Teams are so used to play Munster finals there and All-Ireland quarter-finals and semi-finals there… there isn’t All-Ireland quarter-finals in Ennis or Walsh Park or Parnell Park.”