Ken Hogan: Pádraic Maher switch to full-back a ‘huge bonus’ for Tipperary 

Hogan believes his club colleague Patrick 'Bonner' Maher will battle back from another cruel injury blow

Pádraic Maher with Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy after beating Galway at Semple Stadium. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile

The relocation of Pádraic Maher to full-back is a “huge bonus” for Tipperary, says Ken Hogan, who believes Liam Sheedy’s defence has had a much more solid look during the opening three rounds of the Allianz Hurling League.

Having sat out the opener against Limerick, the three-time All-Ireland winner — who has featured in the half-back line for most of his Tipp career — played mostly at the edge of the square against Cork and was back in that role in Saturday’s win over Galway.

“The big bonus is Paudie playing full-back,” former Tipp manager Hogan said, speaking on Dalo’s Allianz League Podcast. “You had JJ Delaney going back to full-back and being an anchorman for Kilkenny for a number of years. He was a special talent.

“People are saying can he play full-back, but the key thing about Paudie is he’s a natural full-back.

“Because of his displays with his own club, Thurles, and when he went out with the county wing-back, he has had a tremendous career. But in actual fact Paudie was an All-Star at 20 years of age at full-back.

“We had a huge problem at full-back. Ronan (Maher), an outstanding hurler at half-back, had to come back in and fill a gap. Now his brother Paudie has probably seen the light and said this is where I’m going to make it now. I’ve got to get a stranglehold of a position on the team and full-back could be it.

“The backs were a huge problem last year, we were leaking, leaking, leaking, but this year there seems to be a very solid look about them.”

At the other end of the field, Hogan has been impressed with the form of John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer, who looked sharp against Galway having struggled with form and fitness last year.

“I, for one, would have written off Bubbles. I felt he was totally out of shape last year. He was carrying a chronic hamstring problem. He played against us with the club and he didn’t look like he’d ever play again. But he has come back and he’s looking great.”

 

The downside for Tipp is the injury to Hogan’s club colleague Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher, who will undergo surgery tomorrow on an Achilles injury suffered at training last Thursday.

It’s a severe blow to the 31-year-old who missed Tipp’s 2019 All-Ireland win with a cruciate knee ligament injury.

“It’s absolutely cruel,” Hogan said. “He put in such a huge effort. In all the fitness tests that the lads have been doing individually, and collectively when they came back, the youngsters still couldn’t beat him.

“The most complimentary thing we could say about Bonner — as a shrewd man in my parish of Lorrha put it — is he is a freak.

“Up to now, these injuries had never occurred. It was so disappointing to lose out on the 2019 All-Ireland. And then for this to happen, an Achilles tendon, a suspected rupture, that’s a very serious injury. It’s only Bonner who’d get back from that. He’s the one guy who’ll recover from that. 

“2022 is a big year in our history, in Tipperary and our country, and I just hope there is some incentive there. And if anyone can find an incentive Patrick Bonner Maher will find it.

“We wish him all the very best on Wednesday morning, He an unbelievable competitor. Age is no barrier with Bonner because his fitness stats are off the board. Plus the fact he’s a teetotaller. And with the support of the parishioners and his clubmen and countymen, it will drive him back.”

- Visit irishexaminer.com/podcasts