Who will be the next Tipperary hurling manager? Assessing the contenders to replace Liam Sheedy

John Fogarty on the seven leading candidates to replace Liam Sheedy as Tipperary hurling manager

Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy, 2nd from left, and coaches, from left, Darragh Egan, Eamon O'Shea, and Tommy Dunne celebrate with the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 2019. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Liam Cahill (Ballingarry)

But for Liam Sheedy’s 11th hour availability in 2018, Cahill would have been the senior job having guided Tipperary to three under-age All-Ireland titles. He and Toomevara's Mikey Bevans have worked the oracle again in Waterford where their achievements have been close to spectacular and he is favourite to replace Sheedy with good reason.

Darragh Egan (Kiladangan)

It would appear the primary school principal is going to be Tipperary manager at some stage or another. The 35-year-old is a hugely-respected coach and played a significant role in Tipperary’s 2019 All-Ireland success after being headhunted by Sheedy.

Willie Maher (Ballingarry)

A Waterford selector under Derek McGrath in 2014, Maher guided Tipperary’s minors to an All-Ireland title two years before that and was a selector when the U21s won the 2010 crown. His fellow clubman Cahill succeeded him as U21 manager in 2017.

Tommy Dunne (Toomevara)

Coach to both Declan Ryan and Liam Sheedy in five of the last 11 seasons. Boasts an incredible knowledge of the game and sets high standards but he would seem to be more comfortable coaching than managing. That said, he was minor manager prior to Sheedy recruiting him.

Eoin Kelly (Mullinahone)

Jumped from a coach to selector at the end of 2019, one of the greatest hurlers to don the blue and gold is definitely management material although he is still lining out for his club’s seniors and it could be a move further down the line.

Nicky English (Lattin-Cullen)

Only for him living in Dublin, the Tipperary legend would likely have enjoyed a second stint like Sheedy by this stage. His name will be linked with the vacancy again - aren’t we doing it now? - and he remains an astute observer of the game through his work with The Irish Times and Sky Sports.

Brendan Cummins (Ballybacon-Grange)

His passion for the game and understanding of how it is changing are obvious in The Sunday Game’s contributions, while he has worked with Kerry’s hurlers as a coach.