REACTION: 'Playing for Tipperary is what I’ve always wanted to do,'

Andrew Ormond won the Player of the Match award on Saturday

At 25 years old, Ormond’s rise hasn’t followed the typical trajectory of a prodigy bursting through the ranks. But patience, persistence, and belief have paid off.

“Look, I suppose like I said to you the last time, maybe I did have to wait longer than certain other players,” he said. “Some lads come through at 18 or 19, but playing for Tipperary is what I’ve always wanted to do, it’s my dream, and I was never going to give up on it.”

He has certainly gained a large degree of maturity in his wait, and the humility, despite the recent form, remains intact for a player who has certainly brought the leadership role he holds with his club into his performances in the blue and gold.

“All it is is three good matches in a row,” he insisted. “I’m old enough and wise enough to know it mightn’t happen like that every time, and I’m going to have to work hard like everybody else when that does happen.”

Still, his scoring touch was crucial in Saturday’s victory, and with five points from play to his mane, Ormond was also quick to highlight the team effort overall.

“The scores are coming for me now, but I think there was a fair enough spread of scores tonight. I don’t think anything has changed. I’m just delighted to be playing.”

The win over Galway was a big step, but Ormond knows the road only gets tougher from here.

“Yeah, look, this was the cliché that a quarter-final is for winning. We’re in the semi-final now, and that’ll be the same. Maybe we were a little bit sloppy near the end, gave away a couple of goal chances, so we’re probably a bit disappointed with that.

“But we’ll have two weeks now to work on those things and really push it out for 70 minutes.”

“Kilkenny are Leinster champions. Tipp and Kilkenny games—lads, I don’t need to explain that to anybody. That will require no motivation for us. We’ll be all guns blazing for them, and they’ll be the same. I look forward to that.”