Andrew Ormond finding his feet in the Tipperary senior ranks 

FINDING HIS WAY: Andrew Ormond's path to senior ranks hasn't been as straight forward as may have been predicted. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Such are the competing narratives in the Tipperary attack, the achievement of Andrew Ormond is finding space to tell and have his story heard, never mind finding space in the company of Cian Galvin and Tadhg de Búrca to torment and thrive.

There is Darragh McCarthy's debut summer of red mist and razor accuracy. There is John McGrath’s rejuvenated summer of relentless green. There's older brother Noel’s summer of record appearances and ageless vision. And we could hardly omit Jake Morris’ coming-of-age summer.

And so you’d think, from that, that the Tipp forward unit was already busy enough and sufficiently stuffed with championship plotlines and performers. Think again.

Andrew Ormond’s story, up until 6pm on May 10, was of a decorated underage talent that failed to achieve the senior breakthrough.

His story was that of a Tipp minor, a Harty Cup and Croke Cup winner with Our Lady’s Templemore, all in 2017, and a Munster and All-Ireland U20 winner in 2019.

From 1-2 in the 2019 U20 final victory over Cork and 1-3 in the Munster U20 final defeat to the same opposition a year later, Liam Sheedy saw enough to bring Ormond into the senior panel in 2021.

It was, however, four seasons later in February 2024 before his senior competitive debut arrived. His 2024 championship involvement, meanwhile, amounted to 20 minutes at the end of a Limerick lashing and a first start for their already-eliminated final-round clash against Clare.

Forgive the chronological nature of the piece thus far but it is necessary to paint the clearest picture possible of his silverware-laden teenage years, his in-the-wilderness early 20s, and his stunning senior announcement of recent weeks.

He started Tipp's first two League games of 2025 and didn’t start again for another 97 days until the aforementioned May 10. A fortnight earlier he was the first sub introduced against Cork in a game long gone from them. In 31 minutes on the field, the JK Brackens clubman had four possessions. A goal shot saved, a point, a handpass intercepted, and a wide. Nothing spectacular there and yet still enough felt Cahill to promote him for the must-win spin to Ennis.

From centre-forward, he had six first-half possessions. Two goals, a secondary assist and defence-opening pass for John McGrath’s opening goal, and an assist to Morris for a goal shot that ended as a converted 65.

Arguably more important was his contribution in the first 11 minutes to a second half where Tipp, against the elements, managed only three points. Ormond assisted the first, nailed the second himself, and was fouled for the third. Fast forward to the 70th minute and Tipp’s lead wobbling at the minimum, Ormond was found drawing another foul, but this time way back in his own half.

Ken Hogan was invited onto the Irish Examiner Dalo's hurling show podcast the Monday after to explain the Tipp result and explain the origins of Ormond’s out-of-nowhere influence.

“He's highly rated in Tipp. Has all the underage medals. Low to the ground, great centre of gravity. Probably not the greatest finisher, they would say in Tipp. But by God he got his chances on Saturday and buried two goals. That's a huge fillip; you brought in a new guy in Andrew Ormond and you brought in the old guy in John McGrath, and both contributed hugely,” said the former Premier goalkeeper.

That ‘not-the-greatest-finisher’ perception was further punctured a week later against Waterford. The centre-forward’s numbers were incredible.

Between the 15th and 20th minute, he laid off the final pass for a pair of John McGrath points, clipped his second point, and was fouled for another. Across six minutes early in the second period, he was fouled on three occasions, two of which were converted, and added to his own tally with another white flag.

His numbers had Anthony Daly asking Liam Sheedy in the makeshift RTÉ studio, “where have you been hiding this fella”?

Across the two starts and 28 possessions, he registered 2-4 and was directly involved in another 1-10.

“He first came in in 2021, was in around the group, but never really featured. To see where he is now; the Clare match gave him massive confidence,” said Sheedy on a recent edition of the Examiner hurling podcast.

Ormond and his underage buddy Jake Morris rotate and drift in and out of the No.11 slot. A double centre-forward if you will, even if at times neither are occupying that slot. Waterford were far too slow to either press up or sit a midfielder deep during their Round 4 defeat in Thurles.

If Gavin Lee is retained at centre-back for Galway and is tasked with offering protection to an injury-hit full-back line not overloaded with pace, then a David Burke or a Ronan Glennon or whichever midfielder is not obsessed with pushing forward must be obsessed with limiting the influence of a confidence-high bolter whose hit 2-7 across his three starts this summer.

“We took our learnings from last year, said at the start of the year, this is the year now, there’s no better time than the present, we’re not looking back, it’s all about looking forward now,” Ormond remarked following his man of the match display against the Déise.

He was talking about Tipp’s 2025 story. He could easily have been talking about his own.