So it begins. Already the grapevine vibrates with soft talk of the savage training Tipperary are undertaking. Since assuming the post Liam Cahill has wasted no time in making his mark.
The backroom team was announced promptly. An extensive squad list emerged online. Hard at it from the start in order to be ready for road. A lean Ronan Maher sits down at the launch of the Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League and reasons that, given their recent form and the calendar, there is little alternative.
Are you in the middle of a heavy block of training?
“We are,” he says with a nod. “We're getting a good bit done. It is nice to get it done before Christmas.
“When Christmas is over now, you're going to see a lot of games coming your way with the Munster League and the Allianz League after that as well so you won't feel championship coming around. It is the main time to get your main block of fitness and gym work done.”
On top of that, they’ve had run-outs against Offaly, Dublin and Kerry already. Building a base and moving fast to move clear of the storm that swallowed their season. In the end, they were bottom of the table and Colm Bonnar was removed as manager. A dose of pain that the group have bottled.
“It's easy to get motivated for it after last year the performances were so flat. We really have to knuckle down hard this year and attack the championship as best we can and we'll see where it takes us.”
It was July when Cahill confirmed Mikey Bevans as team coach with Declan Laffan and TJ Ryan as his selectors. Soon after came two high-profile additions. Former Waterford star Tony Browne joined the ticket along with six-time All-Star Pádraic Maher.
Maher was forced to retire from hurling due to injury and a speedy return in a coaching capacity came as a surprise to many, including his brother.
“He didn't say anything to me anyway. He didn't say much. It was out of the blue more than anything. He wouldn't really say too much to me anyway, we keep to our own sides. But it's really good to have him in there and it fills a void for him as well not being able to play. He has lots to offer there as a selector.
“Tony, from what I've worked with him so far this year, is really good and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the year. He's wise and he's clever. We all knew that the way he was playing on the pitch as well, but he's really good to speak to as well so I'll be going to him throughout the year for some advice.”
Above all else, Maher is overjoyed to just be back playing. After being appointed captain, he missed the campaign due to a fibula fracture that ended up also ruling him out for the club championship with Thurles Sarsfields.
To be with the group on the field is a simple joy he won’t take for granted. In 2022 Tipperary were touched by real tragedy when star Dillon Quirke died after he collapsed while playing for his club Clonoulty Rossmore.
He was a flawless teammate and friend. He is with them still.
“It is really, really hard for a lot of lads who would have been really friendly with Dillon. It just puts everything into perspective, hurling-wise. We had a really tight unit there as a team and it affected us all.
“We'll definitely be playing with him in the back of our minds now going forward and we'll try and represent him and his family as best we can. It was really tough at the time and it is tough for lads still going forward.
“As long as we're there to support each other and if they need anything, we're all here to help each other out. It's nice to get back onto the pitch then as well with your teammates and represent him in the best way possible."
