Promotion a target but far from a given for new-look Tipp

GAA: Allianz National Football League Division 4 Preview

By Shane Brophy

TIPPERARY v CARLOW

FBD Semple Stadium

Saturday 27th January

Throw-in @ 6.00pm

Referee: Niall Quinn (Clare)

The new era for Tipperary senior football officially gets underway next Saturday evening with the opening round of the National League.

The McGrath Cup outings against Kerry and Limerick might have been competitive on paper but they were both a means to an end, preparation for the meaningful matches, starting with the visit of Carlow to Thurles as Tipp look to start the league with some momentum.

In a 2023 season which saw Tipperary relegated to division 3 without winning a game, and whose only meaningful wins in all competitions were against Waterford, things were at a low ebb when David Power’s reign came to an end.

Taking on the Tipperary job in that situation wasn’t an appetising prospect with the golden generation of young stars from the under 21 and minor successes from 2010 and 2012 beginning to slip away, added to by goalkeeper Michael O’Reilly, Kevin Fahey, Colman Kennedy, and Liam McGrath all stepping away from the upcoming campaign.

It looked as is former Kerry boss Peter Keane was set to take the job, but he pulled out late on in the process, and at the time, while he was a high profile candidate, the fit didn’t seem right for him to be person Tipperary needed.

In Tipperary’s current situation, it needed someone with a hunger and a drive, and so far, new manager Paul Kelly has ticked all the right boxes. He comes across as humble, eager, and excited by the challenge of managing his first inter-county team. He has also surrounded him with a backroom team of vast experience, both from in and outside the county, including former Tipp selectors Michael O’Sullivan and Paul Fitzgerald.

Those two men were key in the formulation of the training panel after Kelly’s late appointment, scouring the county for players with almost seventy called in for trials with a panel of around 35 to be finalised this week.

Highlighted among them are some exciting young talent that were previously on underage panels before dipping their toes into hurling, such as Paddy Creedon who was part of the football squad in 2021 and 2022 before throwing his lot in with the hurlers last year but didn’t feature.

Kyle Shelly and Luke Shanahan have impressed on the club front in recent years for Moycarkey/Borris and Upperchurch/Drombane respectively and have the potential to bolster what will be a young attacking group with Sean O’Connor having a strong campaign for Clonmel Commercials last year and currently in the Sigerson Cup with UCC, along Riain Quigley who is also back on the squad.

The squad should be boosted during the league by the return of former captain Conor Sweeney, almost a year to the date since he ruptured an Achilles tendon in the first round of the 2023 league against Down.

With Michael O’Reilly gone travelling and Kuba Beben on a tour of duty in Lebanon, the return of goalkeeper Evan Comerford to the fold is timely, although he is an injury doubt for next Saturday’s opening game with Carlow after limping out of the win over Limerick two weeks ago with a leg injury. It could open the door for Jack Rodgers, a Naas clubman who qualifies for Tipperary through the parentage rule with family connections in Cashel.

Having been relegated from division 3 last year along with Longford, both sides are automaticallyamong the favourites for promotion, but this is a much changed Tipperary side that won’t be able to call on Mark Russell and Stephen Quirke until later in the campaign.

Tipp should be in the promotion mix but it is far from a given that they will get there in such a competitive division where Laois and Wexford have had strong O’Byrne Cups, along with Longford who won that competition, beating Dublin in the final. Leitrim and Carlow always have the potential to come from nowhere while London’s pre-season win over Mayo marks them down as a side not to be taken for granted. Only Waterford look like the team in the division without a realistic hope of promotion, but they always make things hard for Tipperary.

For Tipperary, it is one step at a time and any sort of a win over Carlow on Saturday night would be a good start.