Liam Cahill set to be offered extension to Tipperary reign
There is quiet confidence that Liam Cahill will agree to remain on as Tipperary hurling manager. Pic: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
In no great surprise, Liam Cahill will be offered an extension to remain on as Tipperary senior manager in the coming weeks.
Cahill’s initial three-year agreement concluded with Sunday’s All-Ireland final victory over Cork but there was the option of a one-year extension.
After overseeing a spectacular championship success, the Ballingarry man is expected to be invited by the county board to remain in charge beyond 2026 and there is quiet confidence he will agree to remain on.
No manager has stayed at the helm of the Tipperary senior hurling team for longer than three seasons since Nicky English from 1999 to 2002. Since then, Liam Sheedy twice, Michael Ryan and Eamon O’Shea have all served three-year stints.
Talking before the All-Ireland final, Cahill said he envisaged his strategy extending beyond three years. "For me, it was always going to be a three-year-plus plan, obviously the county board agreed a three-year term initially.
“In fairness to them as well they stood by me, and backed me to do what the vision was to try to bring as many players as possible and a new generation of players as quickly as possible, and as structured as possible without pushing fellas too soon.”
Cahill’s management team for the past three seasons has been his coach of 10 years Michael Bevans and selectors Declan Laffan and TJ Ryan. Former Kilkenny goalkeeper David Herity moved from goalkeeping coach to assistant coach this season when he replaced ex-Waterford star Tony Browne.
In September last year, Brendan Cummins and James Woodlock were reappointed for two further seasons as U20 and minor managers respectively. That came on the back of Cummins leading Tipperary to an U20 All-Ireland final, which they won this year, and Woodlock guiding the minors to All-Ireland success.
Meanwhile, almost one million viewers tuned in for RTÉ’s live coverage of Sunday’s All-Ireland senior hurling final.
The average of 980,000 was down on last year’s 1,037,000 number although that Clare-Cork game went to extra-time.
This year’s peak close to the end of Tipperary’s victory was 1,119,000 people compared to 1,231,000 although the viewership percentage of 78% (those watching TV at the time) was slightly higher than 2024.
