REACTION: Cahill satisfied with team's application in victory over Kilkenny

It’s not long into Liam Cahill’s reign but he is already hitting all the right notes and there was further reason for Tipp supporters to feel like the team is in safe hands with a first win over Kilkenny in Nowlan Park since 2008.

There were positive performances all over the pitch on Sunday, but much of the pre-match hype would have centred around the return to action of talismanic forward Seamus Callanan who put in a big shift, and he along with some of the other older guard look like they are ready for a big contribution to the cause this season.

“They’re consistent performers, aren’t they?,” Cahill remarked.

“And have been for the last number of years with Tipperary, so they’re a big part of our set-up. Very happy with the younger fellas in and around them and they’re learning.

“These boys create a great culture with the likes of the older fellas, Séamie , Jason, Dan and Noel McGrath and all these boys to get them to aspire to what’s required to play for Tipperary.”

Callanan seems to be fit and ready for action after essentially missing a full six month of intercounty action due to a nasty hand injury, and Cahill remarked it was a good sight to see Callanan so eager to impress on Sunday.

“Yeah it was nice to see Seamie back today and he gave a great pass for the first goal.

“Seamie retains all of his ability in fairness and all of that style he has since he first joined the Tipperary set up so he’ll be a big player for us as the year goes on.”

There were four more league debutants for what is always a crunch league tie between these historical rivals and Cahill felt there were plenty of good takeaways and performances from the younger brigade in the rare win on Kilkenny soil.

“I said it before the game that down here in Nowlan Park there’s one thing you’re guaranteed is that it’s not a simple place to come to, because they always ask big questions of you.

“It’s quite some time (since we won here). But Kilkenny pride themselves on winning down here and that’s always been the way.

“I’m sure though that Derek and the lads won’t read too much into this come April when the championship comes around so it’s just a case of work in progress for both teams under new management.

“But look, Kilkenny will be disappointed today but they did ask big questions of us so there was great learnings for both teams.
One of the negatives from the game was the continued poor shooting that hampered both teams throughout the match, with Tipp actually hitting one wide more than Kilkenny with 15 shots going astray, but this is something to be expected early in the year according to the Ballingarry man.

“At this time of the year your hurling is never going to be where it should be and where it needs to be, so I’d be hoping that it will improve as the long evenings come in and we start hurling a bit more in training and ease back on the physical side of it.

As Kilkenny always tend to do when they’re faced with adversity, then tend to always provide a response of some kind and had the game back to just four points mid way through the second half thanks to a Martin Keoghan goal, and that was something Cahill was acutely aware of at half time which he highlighted to the players.

“The message was quite simple, that we needed to start the second half which we did, but we failed to capitalise.

“We left a few chances behind us to maybe drive the scoreboard up to 14 or 15 points and if you give Kilkenny any oxygen, they’ll come at you.

“The primary objective was to see out the game because we mightn’t have been seeing out games that well in the past; that would be a narrative that’s out there in Tipperary so today was important for us to make sure and see it out,” he said.

When asked about what pleased him most after the win, Cahill said, “I think it was the battling qualities, our ability to stem that wave of Kilkenny dominance and battle through and keep the scoreboard ticking over to get the result. It’s as simple as that.”

Injuries to Cathal Barrett (shoulder) and Paddy Cadell (ankle) are a concern for Cahill and his management team going forward, particularly the latter who is the only experienced player Tipperary have to operate in the full back line, but despite that Michael Breen continues to look steady at full back, after playing with confidence in his fifth game in a row in the position.

“That was a big plus from the game,” Cahill highlighted.

“Mikey was steady back there again and he’s getting back into that familiar role that he was in a number of years ago as a minor and U21 so if he can continue that form it’ll be a big plus for us going into the remainder of the league and the championship.”