IN ALL FAIRNESS - Bonnar is ticking all the right boxes so far

We might be only weeks into the Colm Bonnar era as Tipperary senior hurling manager but one thing is already clear so far, he is very much a traditionalist.

From my first chat with, as well as listening to other interviews with the new Tipperary boss, his enthusiasm for the job and his passion for the Premier County is undeniable. He may not have been the first choice to succeed Liam Sheedy but inadvertantly he could well be the right one.

His passion will ensure that Tipperary won't lack for motivation and spirit when they take to the pitch to play, and that will carry you some of the way, but the defining aspect of Bonnar's time as Tipperary manager will be how they play.

A traditional Tipperary style will be welcomed by the supporters but it has to be married with the modern way as well, where using the ball well is so important, as this is what sets Limerick apart from everyone else. You rarely see them send a 50-50 ball into the forwards.

The lack of ball-winners in the Tipperary forwards is the one theme we hear a lot of and there is no denying it is an area we are deficient in. However, ball-winners lend itself to 50/50 ball and that is the type of game Tipp need to get away from.

What Tipperary have a proliferation of is good stickmen and wristy hurlers who know what to do with the ball when they get it into their hands so the key for Colm Bonnar, as well as his coaching team of Tommy Dunne, Johnny Enright and Paul Curran, will be playing to those strengths and using the ball better, at minimum to the 60/40 advantage to a teammate.

This is the way hurling is going and Tipperary have to follow, and to play such a game, you need to be very athletic and confident players who don't panic under pressure. One thing is for certain, any player who gets the pleasure of being guided by these four men won't lack for belief and one would expect Tipperary to fly from the traps in next years National League and it was welcome to hear Colm Bonnar doesn't entertain the notion of a rebuilding phase. The term 'rebuilding' when it comes to sport is a handy excuse for a manager from which to buy time.

Supporters understand there will have to be some changes to the playing personnel but Tipperary have enough talent for that to happen without impacting on competitiveness and performance. Certainly, if the likes of Padraic Maher, Seamus Callanann, Noel McGrath and Patrick Maher are encouraged to stay, they don't want to hear of two or three year plans as time is running out for them. They are winners now and won't waste their time next year if the ultimate goal isn't All-Ireland honours.

Things can turnaround quickly. Galway won the All-Ireland in 2017 in Micheal Donoghue's second year in charge, the same with John Kiely and Limerick in 2018. Liam Cahill got Waterford from two years of winning no championship matches in 2018 & 2019 to an All-Ireland Final in his first year in charge.

Tipp weren't that far off the mark in the last two years, and arguably remain the closest challengers to Limerick considering the first half performance in the Munster final where the Premier were ten points to the good. Next year might feel a long way away yet but managements will be getting plans together soon with National League fixtures and Munster Championship dates likely to be known within the next month, from where we can all looking forward to what 2022 might bring.

Ladies Football attracting top coaches

It shows the growth there is in ladies football that you have two high profile managers in the men's game now stepping into the ladies arena.

It's not often a manager leaves a senior men's inter-county set-up to join a ladies team but that is what Shane Ronayne moving on from Waterford to the Cork ladies. It wasn't a surprise either considering his background in the ladies game with both Cork, as selector to the late great Eamon Ryan, and Tipperary were he enjoyed great success.

Now we have former Tipperary and Laois men's manager Peter Creedon stepping into the helm as Tipp's ladies boss, succeeding Declan Carr. It is a strong appointment considering Creedon's managerial experience as a whole, as well as his knowledge of the Tipperary ladies underage scene and has been heavily involved in the growth of ladies football in Thurles which now sees them as a dual club. And with a hugely talented Tipperary squad at his disposal, and hopefully a healthy one after a disastrous 2021 in that regard, we could see the Premier County do special things next year.