Confident Cahill says Tipp are 'redeeming our identity' after Cork victory 

A horrible 2024 championship has been left behind as Premier men moved top of Division 1A with impressive four-point win over Rebels

PREMIER PROUD: Tipperary players give a round of applause during a minute silence in memory of the late jockey Michael O'Sullivan before the Allianz Hurling League Division 1A match between Tipperary and Cork at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Tipperary are in a good space. The journey to redeeming their identity is pointed in the right direction.

So went the post-match comments of Tipperary manager Liam Cahill. He stressed that the future is their sole prerogative. They look to that future with intent and a smile back on their face. A horrible 2024 championship has been left behind.

“It’s very positive from my point of view. The players are working really hard, a lot of people supporting them behind the scenes. We just have a really good feeling about what we’re doing,” Cahill remarked after the four-point win over Cork on Saturday night, the county’s third of the League.

“We’re all, from myself right through the squad, really enjoying our hurling at the moment. It’s brilliant to be in that kind of a space that you’re enjoying your hurling and working so hard in other aspects as well to all feed into the success of trying to get back and compete with the bigger teams again in the championship going into April.” Is that a results-driven space, is it a work ethic-driven space. Or both? Or something else? In essence, how have Tipperary arrived at a point in late February where they are so encouraged by the season ahead?

“It is a space of everyone working together to have that environment that people want to come to and enjoy their training and enjoy the challenges that are coming around the opposition of what they'll present. The challenge of redeeming our identity as a group of players, and ourselves as a management team that we are fully committed to this thing and we really want to portray that out onto the field every day we play.

“We are looking really to the future now. The future is in our hands, it is in my hands with this group of young players, albeit with a number of more senior players there as well to support them.

“Future is in our hands and every day we will be looking to the future of Tipperary hurling. That is where we are going. We are not looking back anymore. We are fully committed to looking forward, learning everyday we go out and improving everyday we go out.” 

 Cork manager Pat Ryan lamented the multitude of goal openings not taken.

“Shane Barrett had a shot and the goalie made a great save, Brian Hayes had one into the side-netting, ‘Dudsy’ [Diarmuid Healy] had a ball he could have given into Brian’s hand, I’d look at those as three gilt-edged opportunities that we didn’t finish," said Ryan.

“They’re something that we have to work on, because that was an Achilles heel we had last year. We were creating an awful lot of chances and our efficiency from open play was very good for points – it was very good again tonight – but our efficiency for taking goal opportunities is something we’ve been working on but obviously needs further work.”