Honesty was just what the doctor ordered for Tipp, says Sam O'Farrell 

The medicine student says a frank assessment of last year's efforts helped the Premier drive on this term.

Sam O'Farrell of Tipperary runs onto the pitch before the All-Ireland hurling final against Cork. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

For a 19-year-old coming into a senior panel, the bloodletting in the Tipperary camp was quite the eye-opener but Sam O’Farrell was inspired by the brutal honesty.

Unable to emerge from the Munster SHC, the 2024 season had been a humbling one for the group and they weren’t in the mood to sugarcoat it for themselves.

“They definitely didn’t shy away from it at the start of the year before Christmas. There was a lot of honest discussions and if anything it spurred us younger lads to get our act together to really drive this thing on because the passion that was displayed in some of those meetings, like, lads just wanted to do the jersey justice and get to days like this.

“Obviously, getting out Munster was the first goal, and I don't know if many could have foreseen this, but it was obviously the goal. Yeah, just the raw emotion and passion was inspiring from those early meetings, everything was put out on the table. They parked last year but those kind of scars would drive on those lads to prove a lot of people wrong.” 

From the victory over Clare in Cusack Park, the start of Tipperary’s six-game winning run to glory, the road became clear. “There is a lot of footage from after that game, and we were all jumping around like we'd just won a final in itself,” smiles O’Farrell. “But I think that game was probably the catalyst for what went on to do this year.

“Obviously, we had one point from our first two games against Limerick and Cork, so we went to Ennis knowing that anything but a win wouldn't be good enough. To go into the All-Ireland champions’ backyard and beat them was special.

“I think it was Craig Morgan's first Munster championship win, Ronan Maher's first championship win as captain, so what it meant to those lads and the buzz it gave us and it really kicked things on.” 

O’Farrell is in salubrious company with Pádraic Maher (2010) as an All-Ireland U20/21 winning captain who has also claimed a senior Celtic Cross in the same year.

“An absolute whirlwind and kind of the stuff of dreams. Myself, Josh Keller, (2019 U20 All-Ireland winning captain) Craig Morgan and Jake [Morris] would have carpooled all year to training. Jake would often remind us that in 2019 he did the 20s and senior.

“At the start of the year, you're kind of saying, ‘Well, look, if we do one, we'd be doing very well. To have the two this year, it's just, it's the stuff of dreams, it really is, and it just still feels surreal.” 

Never was the moonlighting a chore for O’Farrell, Darragh McCarthy or Oisín O’Donoghue. “I picked up a niggle at the start of the year and when you're missing a few league games, and you're injured going to the matches, the one thing you want to do is just be out playing. There was never any complaints on Darragh, Oisín or myself’s end about double-jobbing.” 

U20 manager Brendan Cummins’s support role to Liam Cahill was significant, according to the Nenagh Éire Óg man. “When you're playing minor and you're playing U20, they say, ‘We're developing you for the end goal, which is the senior.’ Brendan was brilliant to us this year. He just let us in with the seniors for the first half of the season, just completely all in with them and any time we needed any bit of experience to lean on, he was there.

“Then, our senior management team, just the confidence they inspired in us young lads, handing us the start that first (league) day in Galway was huge. They never ever had a bad word to say to us or about us. It was huge bravery and, do you know what, the confidence they inspired in us was huge.” 

O’Farrell is following in the footsteps of his father Paul and pursuing a career in medicine. He enters his second year in the University of Galway. “This year was an introduction year so it gave me ample time to be home for training and it wasn't too taxing. A lot of it was continuous assessment but I've heard it's going to be a different story now next year, so we'll move across that bridge. Hurling is my first love and as long as I’m able and want it I’ll be playing.”