Tipperary on the lookout for a new football manager after only eight months

Tipperary County Board are on the lookout for a second senior football manager in the space of just eight months following the sudden resignation of Paul Kelly after the county’s exit from the Tailteann Cup when losing to Limerick yesterday (Saturday).

Tipperary exited the second tier national competition, at the preliminary quarter-final stage, following a disappointing 1-18 to 1-10 showing against the Treaty at Mick Neville Park in Rathkeale. This latest defeat, the county’s 10th loss in 13 competitive games under Paul Kelly’s management, proved to be the final straw for the Dublin-based manager and he immediately called a halt to his tenure which only began last November when he was appointed for a three-year term.

A statement released by Tipperary GAA after the announcement read: "Following today's defeat to Limerick in the Tailteann Cup, Tipperary senior football manager Paul Kelly has informed Tipperary GAA that he has decided to step down as Tipperary senior football manager.

“Tipperary GAA would like to thank Paul for his contribution to football in the county since being appointed and we wish him the very best of good luck in his future endeavours.”

Paul Kelly took over the Tipperary football reins from David Power at a difficult time as Tipperary were on a somewhat downward trajectory following the magnificent Munster championship win of 2020. Having been relegated to Division 4 at the end of the 2023 Allianz League campaign in which Tipperary hadn’t won a game, there was no doubting that Paul Kelly had a tough job ahead of him. But there was hope within the Premier County that the Thomas Davis clubman, with plenty of inter-county coaching experience, might shake up the county’s fortunes with an immediate league promotion as a target.

At the time of his appointment, Tipperary football committee chairman Conor O'Dwyer said: "I am delighted with the management team we have put in place for the next three years.

"All involved bring a wealth of experience across all aspects of football coaching and management and places Tipperary football in a strong position to progress and prosper.

"In particular, in Paul Kelly, I believe we have a man with the footballing experience, organisational ability and passion to succeed, to successfully lead Tipperary football over the next few years,” he said.

On taking over the role, Paul Kelly named Hugh Kenny and Paddy O'Connor as selectors, with Adrian O'Brien, Michael O'Sullivan, Paul Fitzgerald and Michael Byrnes comprising the remainder of the new backroom team.

In reality Paul Kelly’s short reign proved to be a huge disappointment with just three wins since his appointment - a McGrath Cup win against Limerick in Templetuohy; an Allianz League win away to Longford; and a Tailteann Cup win over Wexford in Carlow last weekend, a competition in which Tipperary finished with a -19 points difference having earlier suffered heavy defeats to Antrim and Sligo before the final round-robin win over Wexford.

The league campaign was particularly painful for Tipperary football fans - with only one win out of seven games and a programme in which they managed only draws against Waterford and London - teams the Premier County would always be hopeful of winning against.

And a debacle of an affair during the league campaign in which Tipperary forfeited home advantage to Wexford because of an unplayable Templetuohy pitch, then travelled to Wexford on the Saturday only to encounter more pitch problems, before returning to play Wexford in Fethard on the Sunday - and suffer a 4-10 to 0-8 defeat. For whatever reasons it panned out like that, it certainly did nothing for the standing of the county or, more to the point, the confidence of an already fragile panel in transition.

Defeat to Waterford in the Munster Championship quarter-final in Dungarvan in early April  was another big disappointment on a day in which the home side were fully deserving of their win which ended a 36-year championship famine against their neighbours.

The 16-team Tailteann Cup then remained Tipperary’s final competition for 2024 but very quickly any hopes of an upturn in fortunes were banished with heavy defeats in Belfast against Antrim and at home to Sligo in Semple Stadium. The win against Wexford saw  Tipperary progress past the first round of this ‘weaker county’ competition for the first time, after being knocked out in the initial stage in both 2022 and 2023; it was about all we could write home about after a forgettable year.

As sudden as Paul Kelly’s resignation might have been, all things considered, there was no big surprise in the football world with the announcement. Disappointing as the period was, everyone in Tipperary would appreciate the extremely difficult job he took on, and wish him every success in his future roles in football.