REACTION: Cummins revels and lauds players after brilliant U20 success in Limerick

The year was 2004 when Tipperary’s U21 hurlers, led by Diarmuid Fitzgerald of Roscrea fame, completed back-to-back Munster championship successes, and the Sam O’Farrell-led crop of 2025 will be in pleasant company after a tough encounter with Clare in TUS Gaelic Grounds last Wednesday evening.

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Manager Brendan Cummins certainly enjoyed this success just as much as his breakthrough win as boss in 2024, and he was the image of contentment at full time in the wings of the Limerick venue.

“It’s great now to be honest. It was always going to be the hard way,” said the former Tipperary goalkeeper.

“That game in Sixmilebridge was a once-off and we knew it was going to fire up Clare and that’s exactly what we got.

“In fairness to the lads, I think when we were under pressure, we suffered really well, and in the patches where we were able to express ourselves, the inside forwards did really well and that’s what got us across the line,” he said.

The players struggled to take on board the message from the sideline at times during the second hal,f particularly according to Cummins. They were turned over numerous times and with the inside forward line doing damage, long and direct was the path that needed taking.

“Trying to get rid of the adventurous nature of Adam Daly and Joe, and all the boys around the middle; they just want to step out and break the tackle and all that. It’s instinctive what they’re trying to do,” said Cummins.

“It kind of goes against the grain to start lamping it in, and that’s what we had to do.

“They’re programmed to run it. We pushed closer to our goals to try and allow that space in around the back. It was a great tactic from Clare as well to follow us everywhere and backed themselves to stop us swinging the hurley, and in passages of play, we did.

“But hurling isn’t a game of perfection; it’s a game of work and keeping your head when the pressure is at its highest, and those young fellas did that today, and thankfully we’ve that cup inside there now.”

The goals in the second half proved to be the crucial scores and they came in quick succession, going into the final quarter, with Darragh McCarthy’s expertly taken penalty and Cathal English’s scrappy finish the turning point according to Cummins.

“The way it was going - we missed a couple of chances in the first half - but we were happy that we were creating them, so in fairness to Cathal (English) I’m not sure how he got it across the line but he got it there anyway and that’s the main thing.

“But Darragh’s penalty, he was just ice cold when he hit that because there was a lot of furore. They had just gotten a black card, so it was a real pressure shot, and there’s no one else in the world I’d want hitting but Darragh. He came up trumps for us.”

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The availability of the senior panellists proved to be an important factor in the victory in Limerick and despite being the team captain, Sam O’Farrell only appeared in the middle of the second half, albeit to good effect.

“Sam came off with cramp the last day against Clare, so we thought 15 minutes might be ok for him to play ahead of a game again on the following weekend, and in fairness to Liam (Cahill), he had no problem with Oisin (O’Donoghue) and Darragh (McCarthy) playing, and we’re grateful for that.”

“We had that couple of weeks' break last year, and we ended up playing on the Friday and then the following Saturday week against that Offaly juggernaut.

“We have a couple of weeks now to prepare, the lads will enjoy tonight and we’ll get back down to business on Friday.”

The success not only brings back another provincial trophy to Tipperary, but it also secured a second successive appearance in an All-Ireland final next month, and with so many survivors from the loss to Offaly in 2024 still amongst the ranks of Brendan Cummins’ team, they will have plenty of motivation and will not allow the occasion to over-awe them this time around.

“It was just all new to them, I suppose, last year,” Cummins acknowledged.

“Thankfully, in the four years I’ve been here, that’s the third Munster final and we’ve been fortunate enough to win two now. 

“But now, it is a job that is half done. We’ll enjoy the next couple of days because you have to enjoy the victories, and then we’ll get the bodies back and we’ll get planning.”