INTERVIEW: Maher and teammates looking to create their own piece of history for Tipperary

The panel has gone through “tough training” in recent months and once the first round of the Munster Championship arrives this Sunday “we’ll see the hard work pay off”.

That’s the view of Tipperary hurling captain Ronan Maher ahead of the county’s opening game of the campaign against All-Ireland champions Limerick at TUS Gaelic Grounds (4pm).

“As a player - I only said recently to the lads - it’s a huge responsibility playing with the Tipperary jersey on your back and with that comes huge expectations from Tipperary supporters,” according to the Thurles Sarsfields player.

“We know that they (supporters) will row in behind us once we give it everything and they can see us fighting for the cause.

“We’re well aware of that as a group and we’re eager to create our own bit of history”.

When asked to compare preparations with this time last year, the 28 year-old defender says “I suppose this year, training has been pretty good and it is a good, competitive environment.

“I know you can see from the outside that there’s been lots of new faces around, lots of new positional changes so I think we’re in a good place at the minute.

“We’ve had lots of learnings coming from the league campaign and I’m sure we’ll have a lot more in terms of preparation for the Munster championship”.

The other four teams in the province have already been in action, although being the odd team out when the championship began last weekend isn’t something that unduly concerns him.

“I don’t pay too much attention to the schedule. Players after all love playing matches and it is better than training!

“I don’t think about it too much, to be honest.

“The National League is good for learning things, getting up to match fitness and preparing for the Munster championship. It can give you some momentum if you’re winning games, trying out new players and new positions so there’s plenty to be gained from the games in the league”.

An All-Ireland title winner in 2016 and 2019, Maher says that there is “huge competitiveness” in the panel.

“There are 38 players involved who want to play for Tipperary at the end of the day and that brings huge competition in training, and you just have to be on top of your game every night.

“Teams change over the years and these are the lads we need to see coming through that will keep you on your toes, and it’s really healthy from our point of view.

“There’s a really good group there. An unbelievable group. I suppose there are a lot of new faces even from last year and it does take time for them to blend in but we’re a really close group and we’re working hard, which builds a lot of character.

“We’ve been through a lot of defeats and hard times as well and we know that in the back of our minds, there is a bit of hurt there, so we’re all on the same wavelength.

“We’re working for each other and we’re a close team and a lot of those little things help to bring everyone together”.

Some of that hurt he refers to no doubt stems from Tipperary’s last two games in last year’s championship, when they were beaten by Waterford and Galway.

“We were hugely disappointed with the way things finished up for us, but the Munster championship is brutal and those games are going to knock the stuffing out of you,” he says.

“There are learnings you have to take from that for this year. I think it’s about learning what to do going forward rather than looking back on the disappointment of it.

“We were disappointed but as a team with young players - and even for the more mature lads - there are huge learnings there. Munster is brutal, everyone knows that and you just have to be on top of your game and we’ll be looking to go after it again this year”.

When asked if it has been difficult, as one of the most experienced campaigners in the panel, to adapt to the modern game from the way it would have been played in years gone by when he first started playing for Tipperary, he says “the game has definitely changed since I first started playing, you can be sure of that.

“The day is gone when you just lump the ball down the field. Management would be giving out to you if you did that because you could be taken off two minutes later.

“Everyone can see that from looking on. It’s played a lot shorter now and possession is a big thing. You just have to adapt and go with the times”.