Cummins backs players to use heartbreak to drive on to Senior level
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Tipperary’s Stefan Tobin solos away from Clare’s James Hegarty on route to scoring his second half goal. Photos: Bridget DelaneyImage 2 of 3
Tipperary’s David Costigan goes on the attack.Image 3 of 3
Tipperary manager Brendan Cummins speaking to his players following their Munster Final defeat. Photos: Bridget Delaney PicasaBy Stephen Barry
Brendan Cummins feels his Tipperary under 20s will grow from experiencing the penalty shoot-out heartbreak that ended their reign as Munster and All-Ireland champions.
It took three exceptional Mark Sheedy saves, the last of which featured as moment of the day on American TV show ESPN SportsCenter, to kill off the Premier’s three-in-a-row hopes.
“I said that to Mark Sheedy, it breaks my heart that a goalie broke my heart,” reflected the Tipp boss.
“The lads couldn't have hit those penalties any better. Nobody scuffed them, and Paddy McCormack made two great saves as well.
“Poor Stefan (Tobin), I feel for him. He had the bravery to say, I'm hitting the next penalty. He'll be fine. That's what makes him a Tipperary senior hurler.
“The pressure is unbelievable. I had a club game a couple of years ago, we’d a penalty, and I blazed my one over the bar, so I can't be saying anything to the boys.
“We're trying to prepare men to go up to Liam Cahill's squad. The experience will hurt, but they will have learned some load from it. The key thing they'll have learned is that they are good enough and they are ready.”
On their shoot-out planning, Cummins revealed: “We had a chat at the start of extra-time in case we went to penalties, and we had our five penalty-takers on the pitch at that stage, so we were happy.
“You can practice those 100 times; you're not going to recreate what went on with the pressure. You trust the lads and their ability.”
Tipp ultimately paid for their first-half wastefulness, firing thirteen wides in the opening 25 minutes.
“You can sometimes say, oh, we could make a better decision here or there. I don't believe in that. That's hindsight stuff. The lads backed themselves to have the go,” Cummins said.
“We knew Clare would follow us out the pitch, which they did, and we said in the second half, we'll have 2v2s inside, which we got, and we'll keep chipping away at it. That's exactly what the lads did.”
Cummins noted that Stefan Tobin had carried a knock into the final, but came through the 80 minutes in good shape with 1-3 to his name.
He concluded that this crop had progressed from recording one dead-rubber win at minor level in 2023, so each player could aspire to make the next step up to senior.
“The gap between 20 and playing senior hurling is massive, so it can take a couple of years. I just explained they have to be patient, but if you keep chugging away at it, the time will come, and you'll get your opportunity,” concluded the Tipp boss.