Mission accomplished for Sheedy as attention turns to Wexford

 

“Job done,” was how Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy summed up his sides expected victory over Laois and progression to an eighth All Ireland semi-final in this decade.

Only in 2013 and last year have Tipperary failed to reach the last four which is a great level of consistency but this isn't what the Premier County are measured on. However, to get to finals, you have to progress through each round with Sheedy admitted this that this quarter final was a “tricky fixture.”

“We got eight points clear in the first half and it looked as if we would push on but they got it back to four by half time and asked questions of us at various stages of that match.

“We set our own standards and in terms of performance we wouldn’t be really happy of where we got to today. The reality is all the talk during the week was if Laois weren’t really in the championship. That is difficult because I know Eddie (Brennan), I have seen Laois and they way they played last Sunday in Portlaoise was admirable. They have a great spirit about them, they have a really good energy, are really good to work the ball out of the defence, are well coached with himself and Niall Corcoran. They brought a lot to that pitch today but for us we played second fiddle in a lot of sectors of that game and the one-to-one battles.

“There were parts to their play that we had no answer to and that’s a concern but at the same time we did rack up a really good score in 2-25 and probably could have had another green flag or two in that first half.

“It is mission accomplished. These matches are damned if you do and damned if you don’t but for us it is just about getting through and finding ourselves in the last four.”

 

To read more, pick up a copy of this weeks Nenagh Guardian locally or subscribe to our e-paper to access it online each Wednesday.