Courage, pride, and honour in defeat for Minor Footballers
By Michael Dundon
Tipperary joint managers Michael Donnellan and Shane Hennessy heaped praise on their players after they bowed out of the Munster Minor Football Championship, caught by a Cork sucker-punch goal in the last minute of extra time in a semi-final thriller at Semple Stadium on Monday.
With the players assembled on the pitch being consoled by supporters and their families, Portroe’s Donnellan expressed his disappointment at the defeat but comforted the players.
“Over these last few weeks what you have done for Tipperary football will never be forgotten,” he said.
“You were dead and buried three times and still came back. I have never been as proud of any bunch of lads. You have represented Tipperary with courage, pride, and honour.”
Loughmore/Castleiney’s Shane Hennessy was equally generous in his praise of the players.
“You would have to be proud of them,” he began.
“They were five points down, but they did not die. There is a lot more to these lads and there was no way they were going to let Cork win easily. Goals win games and the goals they got were the killer tonight.
“This is the level we want to be at. We were every bit as good as Cork tonight, but they got the breaks, and we didn’t. These lads have something going for them. They have the right attitude to make it to the top. When you have that you can hone the skills to go with it.
Looking ahead to the All-Ireland Tier 2 Championship where Tipperary will play Derry in Stamullen, Co. Meath this Saturday at 2.00pm, Hennessy was under no illusion about the magnitude of the task facing his team and was looking forward to the draw due to be made this week.
“There are a lot of good teams in this draw, and we’ll just have to wait to see who we are paired against,” Hennessy said.
“It is something to look forward to and it’s where we want to be. We have been beaten at this stage (Munster semi-final) for the last four years and we will be hoping to go further this year.
“These are a fine bunch of lads and I have no doubt many of them will be playing for Tipp at under 20 level and higher in the coming years.”
This display, and that of the under 20s, who were also eliminated at Munster semi-final level, augurs well for the future of Tipperary football.