Leading Tipperary columnist says county's hurlers losing to Offaly is 'unthinkable'

In their most recent column in the Clonmel Nationalist, a leading Tipperary columnist has said the county's hurlers losing to Offaly in Division 1A of the National Hurling League this weekend is 'unthinkable'. 

Under a headline that says, "Offaly's performance against Kilkenny is a timely reminder for Tipperary", the popular 'Westside' column written by JJ Kennedy does qualify the comment somewhat by adding, "but respect all opponents and take nothing for granted. Hurling can be a great leveller."

He also points out Tipperary's dominance in the league over the years with the Premier County having won 34 out of 42 previous meetings.

Offaly come into the game off the back of an encouraging performance against Kilkenny last weekend just losing out by four point in Nowlan Park with the Tipperary columnist giving Offaly some credit. 

"Last weekend Johnny Kelly’s side put it up to Kilkenny at Nowlan Park. The Cats won in the end by four points but a shock was on the cards for some time. It offers a cautionary reminder for Tipperary ahead of Sunday."

Tipperary opened their campaign with their 50th league win over Galway. 

Offaly face Tipperary in Glenisk O'Connor Park at 2pm on Sunday. 

The full section of the column focussing on Offaly reads as follows:

"In the meantime, we have Offaly to engage at Tullamore on Sunday. King’s County barely survived relegation from Leinster last year but have been nurturing a significant cohort of underage talent in recent seasons. We were second best to them in the 2024 Under 20 final.

"Last weekend Johnny Kelly’s side put it up to Kilkenny at Nowlan Park. The Cats won in the end by four points but a shock was on the cards for some time. It offers a cautionary reminder for Tipperary ahead of Sunday.

"Our last league clash with them was back in 2017 at O’Connor Park when we sailed through by 4-28 to 3-13 in a quarter-final. We subsequently beat Wexford in the semi-final but slumped to Galway in the final.

Overall, we’ve won 34 out of 42 previous league meetings. Losing on Sunday is unthinkable but respect all opponents and take nothing for granted.

"Hurling can be a great leveller."

CLICK HERE to read the full Westside column