Premier Rising: How far is the Tipperary rebuild from championship contenders?

A tough year lays ahead for a county still in rebuild mode and deep into a barren period where trophies are concerned.

There’s a very real chance that by the end of 2025, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have made more appearances in Croke Park than the Tipperary senior hurlers will have in the last six years.

That’s a very real possibility if, for the sixth year on the trot, Tipperary fail to navigate their way into the final four of hurling and an All-Ireland semi-final berth.

It’s a stark barren period for a country that has a clock ticking on its unmatched record of having won an All-Ireland hurling title in every decade. The 2019 victory over Kilkenny after Liam Sheedy returned to the fold to deliver one last All-Ireland title to the county is their last honour, and one that in retrospect has become somewhat of a poisoned chalice.

Sensing it was now or never to challenge with the golden era that had lit up the 2010s, Sheedy was ordained with the role of bringing Liam MacCarthy back to the county before Father Time called on the likes of Padraic and Brendan Maher and Seamus Callanan, with all heading north of 30-years-old.

He had left the role eight years prior as champion, having won the 2010 All-Ireland in an epic with Kilkenny, killing their effort for the first ever five-in-a-row in the process.

Since that 2019 win however, Tipperary have struggled to rebuild itself for a changing era in the sport, where Limerick stand tall both literally and figuratively, with towering monsters across all areas of the field and a seemingly relentless engine that is somehow able to play the game of hurling with tremendous quality and skill.

As other counties regrouped in an effort to match that strength and power, Tipperary, historically a more “naturally” talented hurling county, were left in the dust and are still trying to pick up the pace. Not only has the chasing peloton reeled them in, they’ve overtaken them in many factors and this painted in no uncertain terms in Tipperary’s recent record.

Now onto their second manager since Sheedy’s departure in 2021, Liam Cahill enters his third season in charge with a pretty thankless task of not only keeping Tipp relevant, but introducing a host of new players and fresh faces in an effort to move on from the previous generation of players that represented their county with esteem but were sadly on the wrong side of the hill.

That’s what the early stages of the Allianz Hurling League has looked like, as Cahill seeks to embed a raft of new faces to replace the squadron of big name players that have hung up their boots in the last couple of years, whilst juggling the relentless standard and expectation of Tipperary hurling to always challenge at the front where trophies are concerned.

It’s a difficult balancing act, and one that rarely offers much patience from a demanding fanbase that is conditioned to achieving success and challenging for honours year after year.

So far, it’s been a reasonably decent start for Tipperary with wins over Galway and Wexford in the league, and going toe-to-toe with their old foes in Limerick for large parts of the game. Although Cahill was optimistic coming out of the 0-30 to 1-23 defeat, it was notable coming out of how forward a position Limerick are in versus Tipperary in their respective timeframes.

Limerick played a hugely inexperienced side, bar a handful of familiar names, and looked every bit as imperious as the players they were filling in for. Each player had a role and executed superbly, while Tipperary on the other hand were not far off what could likely be their main starting fifteen for the championship campaign. As Limerick were able to blood players that might make an impact in 2026, 2027 and beyond, they ended up blowing past a Tipperary side that are the here and now.

That gulf is worrying. Limerick can afford to build strength in depth while Cahill is still trying to draw conclusions on most areas around the field. It is notable, however, that Cahill mentioned the difference in physicality and that Tipperary may be looking to double-down on their hurling ability this year, rather than worrying too much about how physically imposing they are.

“Today we moved that ball a little bit better and tried to avoid contact as much as possible and trust our hurling a bit more,” Cahill said.

“Definitely, that’s the route we’ll be really going to concentrate on as the weather gets better and that ball gets drier and faster. But definitely overall where we are at the moment with the conditioning of this team, I’m very happy.

It’s a high risk and high reward tactic—nobody is denying these players aren’t supremely talented hurlers, but the game is about so much more than that now. Speed, precision and strength are the chips that weigh heavier in favour of teams who are matched in hurling terms. By backing their hurling ability Tipperary are capable of beating anyone on their day, often with devastating execution, but those days are becoming fewer and farther between when the stakes are high.

Another year without a trip to GAA HQ would be damaging to a county that prides itself in its hurling, and be a further crater towards returning to former glories. The rebuild is ongoing, which some green shoots and positivity to drawn on, and a clean slate heading into the year with much to build on.

A loss to Limerick so early in the league shouldn’t derail anything, but it could be an interesting precursor to the Munster championship where every game now has so much at stake. The Tipperary rebuild is in motion, but right now it’s carried mostly on hope and dreams of a return to sunny Sundays heading down Jones’ Road, it’s been long overdue.