Tipperary teams straight into competitive action

By Shane Brophy

It is straight into competitive action for a number of Tipperary teams this weekend as 2026 comes in with a bang.

The Tipperary senior footballers will be the first premier county team into action on Friday night when they make the short trip to Rathkeale to take on Limerick in the opening round of the McGrath Cup (7.00pm).

There was a lot to like about Tipperary’s new look side under manager Niall Fitzgerald who fell to Kerry in the Dillon Quirke Challenge earlier this month but that was a fairly inexperienced if talented Kingdom side for whom Tadhg Morley was the only recognised starter involved.

Limerick have been on an upward curve in recent years, including reaching the Tailteann Cup final earlier this year where they were unlucky to lose to Kildare.

All-Ireland hurling champions Tipperary return to competitive fare on Saturday afternoon when they take on Waterford in the opening game of the Munster League (2.00pm).

Capacity at Clonmel Sportsfield is limited to a maximum of 2,000 supporters with tickets available to purchase via www.munster.gaa.ie/tickets and participating Centra and SuperValu outlets. All supporters (including Under 16s) will require a ticket to attend these games as follows – Adults: €10, Students / OAPs: €5, Under 16s: €2. Admission will be by ticket only, and there will be no tap and go facilities available at the venue.

With Kerry also in the group, whom Tipperary will play in Tralee on Monday, 11th January, this renewal of the rivalry between Liam Cahill’s former and current teams is a virtual semi-final with the winner pencilled in for the final on Saturday, 17th January.

Tipperary’s challenge match wins over Limerick and Kilkenny pre-Christmas were very much with new faces getting game-time to impress the management, but with the start of the National League just over three weeks away, it would be expected more front-liners will come back into contention.

Camogie

This weekend also sees the start of the Munster Under 16 ‘A’ & ‘B’ Camogie Championships, the launch for which took place in Cahir House Hotel on Sunday.

The ‘A’ Championship starts on Saturday, 3rd January where Tipperary are away to Limerick In the semi-final at 1.00pm (venue TBC), while on the same day, Tipperary will host Cork in a quarter final of the ‘B’ Championship at the Camogie grounds, The Ragg at 1.00pm.