Tipp footballers aiming to 'mirror passion' of late manager Ryan

Niall Fitzgerald says Philly Ryan is always in the thoughts of the Premier County players.

Moyle Rovers manager Niall Fitzgerald during the AIB GAA Munster Senior Football Championship quarter-final at Ardfinnan. Pic: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Niall Fitzgerald says the legacy of Philly Ryan will leave an enduring imprint on the current Tipperary football team.

The Moyle Rovers clubman has taken over as Premier manager following Ryan’s sudden death in October.

It’s not a situation any manager feels equipped to negotiate. All Fitzgerald can do is ensure the presence of his former Tipp teammate will live on in their dressing room.

“Philly was such a massive part of Tipperary GAA. There’s a hole in Tipperary football,” he said.

“It's just a dreadful situation. We mention Philly. We talk about Philly. Philly is a huge part of that group of players.

“I'm not trained to deal with it. I don't know who is. It's a very, very difficult situation that very few teams have to deal with.

“All we can do is try and mirror his passion for Tipperary and mirror that on the field.” 

Fitzgerald stepped down as the county’s U20 manager in August. Within two months, he was cast back into the inter-county scene.

“It's been challenging, but I've been very lucky to get really good people involved with me,” he said.

“Peter Tormey, Conor McNally, Barry Mullane, having Donnacha Mulcahy, the S&C coach from last year, and then the medical team as well, that has been a huge help.

“I'd say I've a few more grey hairs. That's just part of it. But it's been enjoyable. I've been really impressed with the effort from the players, and that's all you can hope for.” 

Tormey is a former Westmeath footballer and Roscommon selector, who was part of Peter Keane’s Clare backroom team. Meathman McNally served with Fitzgerald at U20 level and coached the Monaleen footballers last season. Barry Mullane is an Ardfinnan native who previously coached the Down hurlers.

Another notable recruit is former Monaghan sub-keeper Shane Garland, who has relocated to Kilsheelan-Kilcash and featured in last month’s county final.

“Shane is well able to play,” said Fitzgerald. “He'd been sub-keeper to Rory Beggan up in Monaghan for a few years. Now he's here, we'll make the most of it.” 

Fitzgerald has inherited a young squad from Ryan and insists the league will be Tipp’s target as they face into a third consecutive year in Division 4.

“I make no secret about it, the league has to be our target. That's where we are in Tipp at the moment.

“We're looking at the league and we're looking at the Tailteann Cup. We want to be more competitive in both those competitions.

“You have to hit the league running because if you don't, it can be gone away from you before it starts. That's not where we want to be. We want to be really competitive.

“It's a lot of young players, and we're going to build with these young players. Because at the end of the day, everyone who's here, they want to be here. They're the lads who are going to get us back up. We're at the bottom, and we have to build.” 

Tipp began their pre-season with a 2-15 to 1-15 defeat to Kerry at Fethard Town Park in a fundraiser for the Dillon Quirke Foundation.

Darragh Brennan was their star turn with 1-3 off the bench before limping off.

“He may have given the hamstring a tweak,” said Fitzgerald. “It's a brilliant facility here in Fethard. When you're on Astro, there can be a higher risk of injury sometimes. Darragh had a big impact when he came on and did very well, so hopefully it's nothing major.”