Who do Tipp look to now?

By Shane Brophy

Tipperary County Board have been forced to go back to the drawing board in search of a new senior hurling manager after their desired candidate Liam Cahill opted to stay with Waterford.

The decision by the Ballingarry clubman, along with coach Michael Bevans, a native of Toomevara and living in Borrisoleigh, to reject overtures from their native county took almost everyone by surprise, including in Waterford where a number of the players were more than surprised when the duo announced on Thursday last that they would be staying for at least another year.

In a 484-word statement, Cahill explained that there was a sense of “unfinished business” with Waterford and added: “In the circumstances we feel that to step aside now from the Waterford journey would be the wrong decision.”

To say there was surprise among Tipperary County Board officials was an understatement considering their five-person committee had met both Cahill and Bevans on at least two occasions since first approaching them about succeeding Liam Sheedy as manager.

So where did it all go wrong from a Tipperary point of view? Firstly, did we woo Cahill and Bevans hard enough? The Waterford County Board made every attempt to convince the former Tipperary minor and under 20 All-Ireland winning manager to stay, including a visit to Cahill’s home by county chairperson Sean Michael O’Regan last Wednesday which looks to have been the turning point in Cahill’s decision to stay with the Deise.

So, did we just expect that the lure of managing their native county would be too much to resist, which Cahill claimed in his statement: “The position of the Tipperary Senior Hurling manager is extremely attractive and one I did not take lightly.”

However, it wasn’t attractive enough for him to take the job at this time. Looking at it coldly and without blue and gold tinted glasses, Cahill made the most logical decision. There is greater stability in Waterford at the moment where they have two years work put in which saw them reach All-Ireland finals and semi-finals, plus with the possibility of getting Stephen O’Keeffe, Tadhg de Burca, Pauric & Philip Mahony, and maybe Maurice Shanahan back next year, would make them a stronger challenger to Limerick.

However, from a Tipperary point of view, this is a major setback. Within minutes of Liam Sheedy informing the County Board that he would not be seeking another term, Liam Cahill was made aware there would be an opening, that is how much the County Board were keen on him to come home and re-ignite Tipperary for the next few years, and work with many of the players he knew already from his minor and under 20/21 days.

A Tipperary County Board official was adamant that nothing came up in the negotiations that couldn’t have been resolved to the liking of Cahill and Bevans, however this appears hard to believe. Cahill did ask for a four-year term, but the County Board only offered three, which is the maximum given to any senior management team, but if things went well, that could have been extended accordingly.

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