Morris - Minor heroics the spark for senior reflection
By Kevin Egan
Few Tipperary matches over the past couple of years have warmed the heart of supporters quite as much last year’s All-Ireland Minor championship win over Kilkenny.
Over 17,000 supporters packed into UPMC Nowlan Park to see a group of James Woodlock’s young stars write their name into the county’s history with their extra-time win after receiving two early red cards.
For many fans, the conversations began about when those teenage heroes might start to make an impact on Tipperary’s fortunes at senior level, most likely starting towards the end of this decade.
Tipperary senior hurling vice-captain Jake Morris was among that crowd that day, and he told reporters at the launch of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Series on Tuesday that he and a lot of his senior colleagues had had plenty of cause for reflection as they watched that win.
“I was down in Nowlan Park that day and there’s no point saying it any other way, we were embarrassed,” said the Nenagh Éire Óg clubman.
“That was a united Tipperary team that fought hard together, a battling team that had the right attitude, and that’s what we took away that day.
“We never mind losing a game as long as you’ve shown up and performed, and you can look each other in the eye on the bus.
“The manner of some of the defeats we took last year wasn’t acceptable, and that’s where there was a lesson taken from looking at those 16 and 17 year olds and the way they performed in Nowlan Park”.
He added: “Players are in the trenches, you have to go to work, you can’t hide away. We had to deal with it face on and take our constructive criticism and move on, looking in the mirror. There was a lot of soul searching done over the winter, and seeing what more can be done, and in fairness lads have done it, and so have the management team.
That change in attitude, Morris believes, has led to the restored connection between the Tipperary team and its supporters, something that has stood to the group in big games during this year’s Munster championship.
“Tipperary supporters are very fair,” he admitted.
“They just want to see a team that are battling hard and giving it their all. That’s what we’re doing this year and that’s why they’re getting behind us now, because it’s a team that they can enjoy going to watch.
“It’s been a slow, steady process, week-on-week and starting in the league where we’ve been giving performances and trying hard. The desire to hurl for Tipperary has been evident.
“I don’t think there was a single turning point; getting to a league final was nice, and drawing against Limerick probably did plant a seed with a lot of Tipp supporters that these lads mean business and are competitive again.
“You’re coming into the home straight of a big match like the one in Ennis against Clare or when we played Waterford in Semple and you hear the chanting going “Tipp, Tipp, Tipp..” and you know they’re going to roar you out over the line.
“I don’t know if it’ll come to that against Laois, but we’re preparing like we would for any other game, and we’ll take it very seriously. We’ve seen already that anything can happen in this championship, and we need to make sure we perform to our best in Portlaoise.”