Tipp must plan without Michael Quinlivan for 2022 season

Michael Quinlivan 

Michael Quinlivan will not be lining out for Tipperary senior footballers this coming season due to work commitments.

Manager David Power confirmed the 2016 All-Star along with his Clonmel Commercials clubmate Pádraic Looram (work commitments) and Drom and Inch’s Emmet Moloney (travelling) are not in his plans. Tipperary are set to face Limerick in Sunday’s McGrath Cup Group B game in Rathkeale before they host Kerry next Wednesday evening.

Dublin-based Quinlivan previously stepped away from the panel in 2020 before the pandemic prompted his return after which he contributed to the county’s first Munster SFC title in 85 years.

“Michael won’t be part of the panel this year due to work commitments,” Power said of the 28-year-old, a senior associate at Clearwater International finance consultancy firm. “Emmet Moloney is going travelling and Pádraig Lorram has work commitments. Brian Fox has obviously retired.

“The next two games are about finding new players. It’s not about winning or losing them really. The biggest victory will be finding new talent for the league campaign ahead.” Power says there may be more additions to the football panel from the extended hurling squad, which has been amassed by new boss Colm Bonnar. “The hurlers have a very big panel at the minute and over the next two weeks there could be a bit of transferring between the two groups. It will be interesting.” Tipperary trained on Wednesday evening and Power didn’t get to see Kerry’s 23-point win over Limerick in Tralee but was stunned by just how many seasoned players featured. 

“I saw their team and I was amazed how strong it was for a pre-season game.” 

Power has had a chance to skim over the two proposals for the All-Ireland senior football championship, one of which will be recommended by Central Council on January 22 to be debated at Central Council next month. The green option would see Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cup round-robin competitions follow a five-week provincial championship period. The red is an updated version of Proposal B where the provincial championships would be played in the spring with the All-Ireland SFC based on new divisions 1A, 1B (a combination of the current Division 1 and 2) and 2A and 2B (a combination of the current Division 3 and 4). As a Division 4 team, Tipperary under the green option would have a chance of playing in the Sam Maguire Cup were they to qualify for the Munster final. In the red system, they could qualify by winning Division 2A or 2B.

The Kilsheelan man has been vocal in his support for change to the structure of the competition and at the minute he favours the green proposal. “Green seems to be a good option but to be honest both would be welcome because they provide more games, which is the big thing for me and for the players. Put it this way, they’re better than what is there at the moment.”