Tipp Minor Footballers enter new All-Ireland competition

By Shane Brophy

After a Munster Championship campaign where they won three out of five games, the Tipperary minor footballers return to action this Saturday in a new All-Ireland Championship competition against Westmeath in Templetuohy at 2.00pm.

After getting off to a bright start with wins over Limerick, Waterford and Clare, Tipperary have suffered back-to-back defeats, firstly against Clare in the Daryl Darcy Cup final before falling to Kerry in the Munster semi-final, falling into the new tier 3 competition for the Seamus Heaney Cup.

The new competition, along with the new tier 2 championship, have been introduced this year, providing an opportunity for counties to challenge for further silverware outside of their province.

The competition involves thirteen teams, Tipperary joining Limerick and Waterford from Munster, Leitrim from Connacht, Carlow, Laois, Meath, Offaly and Westmeath from Leinster, and Ulster are represented by Antrim, Down, Fermanagh, with London also being included.

Tipperary were seeded straight through to the quarter finals and will be at home to Westmeath this Saturday, the lakesiders having easily accounted for Carlow 6-25 to 0-5 last weekend. In the other first round games, Down defeated Meath, Waterford overcame Offaly, Limerick got the better of Fermanagh while Laois accounted for Antrim.

The other quarter finals this weekend sees Limerick v Down, Waterford v Laois and Leitrim up against London.

The competition is named after Meath native Séamas Heaney who played football with Navan O’Mahony’s but was heavily involved in the coaching of various teams in Simonstown Gaels when he retired from playing. A farmer by profession, he committed himself to passing on his love of football through coaching. He was an innovator in thought and action and was one of the first GAA nominated tutors to go to NCTC in Limerick. The Séamus Heaney Cup was first presented in 1998 for the Leinster Minor Football League.