Liam Cahill on Tipperary's 2024 campaign: 'I felt we hadn't enough work done'

The Premier County endured a winless provincial season last year. 

LOAD MANAGEMENT: Tipperary manager Liam Cahill. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Tipperary manager Liam Cahill believes his team were underprepared for last year’s championship.

Cahill concedes not enough was done with the players to ready them for the Munster SHC when they finished bottom of the table with no wins from their four games.

In an interview with the “Nenagh Guardian”, Cahill admits: “In 2024, I felt we hadn't enough work done. I know the narrative is out there that with Liam Cahill’s teams, he kills them in training and has them flogged to death before the championship comes around; you cannot help but hear that, but the reality of it is, we've a lot of professional people in there.

“I just don't arrive to Dr Morris Park and get out of the car and say, ‘Right lads, what will we do tonight?’ This is planned. It's just a case of getting it right, and it's to do with personnel as well. Younger players are able to take more than older players and that's something that we are very aware of, that we have to improve on is getting that balance right.” 

Tipperary face Cork in FBD Semple Stadum this Saturday evening in a repeat of last May’s provincial round four game there when they were beaten by 18 points and the home support was seriously outnumbered in the 43,972 crowd.

Cahill feels the “little disconnect” between the fans and the team is due to not enough detail being provided about their efforts to get back to winning ways. “I really want to identify and make people aware of it that we, the management and players know that there's an expectation, number one, but a standard that has to adhered to play for Tipperary, and when that standard isn't where it needs to be it does have a knock-on effect.

“Not for one second am I criticising supporters for not coming – build it and they will come as they say. The little disconnect there is between the supporters and the team is probably through to a lack of us informing them enough of what is going on, and what is going on behind the scenes.” Cahill, who has been heavily involved in helping to fund the preparations of the team since taking over from Colm Bonnar in July 2022, is certain Tipperary are “definitely going in the right way”.

He says: “I hate getting too commercial about an amateur sport, the Tipperary brand is massive worldwide, and we need to get more bang for our buck in relation to that brand.” 

Part of Cahill’s interview with the “Nenagh Guardian” can be accessed here: