Development approach to under 20 grade will serve Tipp best

By Shane Brophy

Tipperary manager Paddy Christie sees the value in the under 20 football championship being more of a development competition.

Since 2018, a player that is on a senior football panel cannot play in the under 20 grade which meant the likes of David Clifford never played at that grade for Kerry as he went straight from minor to senior.

The regulation was eased a little since last year where an under 20 player can still be on a senior panel but if they have played championship in that year, they become ineligible, which could have implications later on in year when the senior championship begins.

Tipperary’s Sean O’Connor was in that situation last year where he featured in the league but come championship, he didn’t play against Kerry in the Munster semi-final when he would have been close to, instead keeping his eligibility for the under 20 squad where he was captain and went onto being named an Under 20 All-Star as Tipp reached a Munster Final.

That decision to hold Sean O’Connor back may well serve him and Tipperary better in the long run admits under 20 manager Paddy Christie.

“We were very happy with that because he made a huge difference to the 20s set-up,” Christie said at the launch of EirGrid’s sponsorship of the Under 20 Football Championship.

“That fella is now ready to play senior football with Tipperary the following year. For me, that’s success.

“That fella who is say under 19, and he’s ready to be a really solid under-20 next year, and play senior the following year, two years later, that’s success. That’s the way you have to look at things with I think Tipperary, and a lot of the other counties.

“Because let’s be honest about it, the Tyrone’s, the Kerry’s, the Mayo’s, the Dublin’s, and some of the really strong counties with really strong playing resources, they can think about winning titles and the bigger stuff.”

Cathal Deeley is in the same scenario for Tipperary this year having come off the bench in six of the seniors league games but with the senior championship opener against Waterford not until the end of the month, by which time the Munster U20 final will be over, no decision over his status has to be made in the short term.

And it is that long term approach which Tipperary needs to follow for them to develop Christie feels.

“From the long-term side of things, which is what I’m more interested in,” he added.

“All I’d like to see happening and I think David Power is the same, is that whatever goes on at 20s level is a grounding for senior level.

“You would like to do that, give them a grounding and be winning championships in Munster and All-Irelands, but let’s be realistic about it, that's not always going to happen.

“For me, if fellas are involved with the 20s set-up, get a bit of a bond there, bit of camaraderie and get a couple of decent performances in the league and respectable performances in the championship and that fella is now ready to play senior football for Tipperary the following year, for me that’s success.”

After failing to win a match in the under 20/21 grade between 2016 and 2020, Tipperary enjoyed a good run in the 2021 championship under Christie as they defeated Limerick and Waterford to reach the Munster Final where they performed well in a loss to Cork. Next Monday, Tipperary face a tough quarter final away to a Clare side who have had the upper hand on the premier county at underage level in recent years.

“Clare are one of the strong teams in Munster, very strong at that age level and would be considered one of the favourites and would be top of the pile after Cork and Kerry,” Christie added.

“So that’s a big test for us, so a good performance against them, if you could rob a win all the better, but if we can get a good performance where lads have played well and are in a position to play senior within the next six months, twelve months, eighteen months, that is what you are looking at to get to a point where a continuous conveyor belt of players coming through who are ready to come into a set-up.”

The Tipperary panel contains ten survivors from 2021, including six players who started in the Munster final defeat to Cork.

Tipperary Under 20 Football panel

Darragh Brennan – Ballyporeen

Jack Buckley - Cahir

Emmet Butler – Kilsheelan/Kilcash

Kevin Cleary – Rockwell Rovers

Micheal Cleary – Arravale Rovers

Jack Collins – Ballina

Ben Comerford – Grangemockler/Ballyneale

Tadhg Condon – Clonmel Commercials

James Corcoran – JK Brackens

Eoin Craddock – Holycross/Ballycahill

Sean Daly – Grangemockler/Ballyneale

Cathal Deeley – Clonmel Commercials

Diarmuid Delaney – JK Brackens

James Griffin – Upperchurch/Drombane

Donagh Hickey – Arravale Rovers

Jamie Holloway – Carrick Swan

Orin Jones – Knockavilla Kickhams

Leon Kennedy – Grangemockler/Ballyneale

Jack Lillis – Drom & Inch

Darragh McVickers – Clonmel Og

Ed Meagher – Loughmore/Castleiney

Paddy Moloney – JK Brackens

Eoin Murnane – Golden Kilfeacle

Jack Nevin – JK Brackens

Mark O’Connor – Clonmel Commercials

Cathal O’Mahoney – Fethard

Sean O’Meara – Grangemockler/Ballyneale

Jack O’Neill – Ardfinnan

Diarmuid O’Riordan - Newport

Matthew Power – Ballina

Shane Ryan – Clonmel Commercials

Cian Smith – Clonmel Commercials

Tom Tobin – Rockwell Rovers

Ryan Walsh - Fethard

Eoin Wyse – Cahir

Manager: Paddy Christie

Selectors: David Power, Kevin Mulryan, Paddy O’Flaherty, Paddy O’Gorman