Carrying on Philly Ryan's journey and legacy is driving Tipp's Seán O'Connor

PRIDE: Sean O'Connor of Tipperary pictured at the launch of the Tailteann Cup at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

Seán O'Connor has underlined the importance of improvement and progression, to continue the work started by clubmate and former Tipperary manager Philly Ryan.

O'Connor, who is in the form of his career in attack for Tipp, said the group are still coming to terms with the unexpected passing of boss Ryan last October.

Ryan, from the same Clonmel Commercials club as O'Connor, collapsed while out walking having completed a season in charge of Tipp.

His last game was June's Tailteann Cup loss to Leitrim and the Premier will return to that competition this Sunday when they play Sligo away in Round 1.

"Trying to move on from that, I don't know how you move on from something like that, it's a shock to everyone in the group," said O'Connor, who was the top scorer in Division 4 this season with 4-42.

"I suppose what kind of got us together was that he'd started us on a journey and he wanted to bring Tipperary football back out of Division 4 and back up the levels.

"That's something we talk about now - we have to carry on his legacy and try to make our way back up the divisions because that's what he would have wanted.

"He would have wanted Tipperary football to be back being competitive. It's something we spoke about and it's something we're trying to go after now."

Ryan's son, Shane, was in goals for Tipp during last year's Tailteann Cup and helped Clonmel to regain the county SFC title in November.

"He was just a football man through and through," said O'Connor of the late Philly. "It was a big honour for him to see Shane playing in goals for his team. I know how much that meant to him. So at least he got to see his own son put on a Tipperary jersey, which is something Shane has to hold onto for the rest of his life. Hopefully we can keep his legacy going, that's what we're trying to do."

Tipp have never made much headway in the Tailteann Cup, winning just two of their 11 games from four seasons in the competition.

But O'Connor believes they are making progress under Niall Fitzgerald, who took up the reins from Ryan, and he's optimistic about the upcoming campaign, even if it starts with a testing away game in Sligo.

"We've brought a lot of new young fellas through this year," he said. "We had an okay League campaign, we improved on where we were last year. The Tailteann Cup is a competition we can definitely go after. It's one we probably haven't performed in over the last two or three years.

"We'd be very disappointed with the way we've kind of finished out our summers after the League and Munster campaigns. So that's definitely something we're targeting this year."

O'Connor, still just 24, has been fast tracked into a leadership role within the group. He's already in his seventh season with the Tipp seniors and was part of the matchday squad for the landmark 2020 Munster final win.

"An unbelievable team to be part of," he said of 2020. "When you taste a success like that, then you want to get back up to those heights. That's the hope with the group we have anyway. Slowly start making our way up the divisions."