A lack of pace is one thing that has been regularly thrown at Tipperary these last few years but Sheedy contests it
“People are probably questioning what’s in the group, guys are a year older and are the younger guys coming quick enough? We are probably a team that people have question marks over going into this Championship. From my point of view, I like what I’ve seen, I like the group that I’ve assembled.”
In this second coming of Liam Sheedy, he has reported himself satisfied after each league campaign, all three of them mediocre runs if the truth be told.
Nobody questioned him about it in 2019 when they followed it up with a 100% record in the round stages of the Munster SHC and later an All-Ireland title but ever since, the doubters have grown in numbers. What Waterford did to them in Walsh Park earlier this month, that they didn’t beat any of the three Munster opponents in Division 1, Group 1, is reason enough.
A lack of pace is one thing that has been regularly thrown at Tipperary these last few years but Sheedy contests it.
Speaking about the loss to Waterford, he says: “You can paint the game and the picture based on what you’ve seen in front of your eyes and naturally if a team is overrunning you the natural, easy place to revert to is pace.
“Overall, I feel I have a good dynamic and a good energy in the group and we know that if we perform to that level across this Championship it won’t be enough. But league is league, Championship is Championship and overall for 300 out of the 350 minutes we were very good in that league.”
A charge often thrown at Sheedy is that he has been overly loyal to the classes of 2008 and 2009 and as a result Tipperary have become an ageing team. But that is also an accusation he dismisses.
“I think you see that across hurling and other sports that age is a number. I suppose what I am looking for all the time is the data and the ability to get around the pitch and do great things. I am getting to see every one of my panel in close situations, in one v one, two v two, three v three and ultimately that is what I will judge my team on.
“The reason they are on the team-sheet has nothing to do with their age but ultimately who can do a job for us in the first round of the Championship in 2021, and after that then it is about who can come in and finish the job.
“The guys that starts, whether he is 21 or 31 or whatever age he is, that will be based on the data I have seen over the last number of months right in front of my eyes and that allows me to sleep very easy at night, to be honest with you. I don’t really get caught up in outside the loop. I have enough to control inside and enough to occupy my mind and that is ultimately where I spend a load of my time.”
He continues: “It is a ruthless business and we all know that but these guys, in terms of how they train and how they carry themselves, where they sit in terms of their physical conditioning is fantastic.
“Overall, the group has really applied itself over the last number of weeks and ultimately if we come up short it will not be because of age but because we are not good enough, but the effort they have put in, I could not ask for anymore.”
After losing to Waterford, Sheedy highlighted the virtues of being fresh this Sunday so when he is asked if Tipperary’s opponents this Sunday have an advantage with a Championship game under their belt, he responds in the negative.
“Every team has their own style of play and I don’t think Clare are going to change dramatically from the style of play they’ve had over the course of the National League.
“Certainly, the focus for us is going to be on our performance and what we can bring to the pitch. We feel if we bring our performance to the pitch we have a chance on any given day, and as we know from the league if we are off for sustained periods, we are in trouble.”
