THE DAY AFTER he won his second All-Ireland medal, Padraic Maher had a cautionary tale for Tipperary’s young brigade.
In 2010, himself, Brendan Maher, Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher, Noel McGrath and Michael Cahill were the fearless young cubs who lifted the Liam MacCarthy with the Premier County.
It was supposed to be the dawning of a new era, with those five players going on to win the All-Ireland U21 title just six days later. But they had to wait six years to climb the steps up the Hogan Stand again as Kilkenny won four of the next five All-Irelands.
The fifteen players left on the field at the end of the 2010 final had an average age of just under 23, so Maher knows a low-age profile doesn’t guarantee future success.
“It is great. The feeling, we were here in 2010,” Maher recalls.
“In 2010 I was like Ronan [Maher] and Mikey Breen coming in with no fear. Carefree attitude, just going out and enjoying it.”
Why did it them so long to win another one?
“We probably took it all for granted. Not only the players but everyone in Tipperary expected: this is it now, one after the other it. But it’s not that easy when you come up against good teams like Kilkenny and Galway caught us a few times as well. Just goes to show.
“The likes of myself, Brendan and Noel and Mickey Cahill got caught up in the whole thing where there was a burden on our shoulders for the next few years. We felt that pressure.
“This year we got a release of that. I think that showed in our hurling performances.”
That five from Tipperary’s last All-Ireland success are now in their prime, all aged between 25-27. The five debutants from Sunday’s decider proved they’re here to stay, while a promising batch of All-Ireland winning minors emerge in the horizon.
Such is sport, these things never work out quite as we expect, as the wing-back is well aware. Maher’s message for Tipperary’s younger guard is simple: enjoy it and keep playing with that youthful abandon.
“Ronan [Maher], Mikey Breen, John McGrath, any bit of advice I have give them is to keep hurling like that. Don’t let the whole thing grab you on your shoulders because that’s what happened to us for a few years.
“The whole burden and expectation caught us. Just take it game by game, enjoy it. That’s how you get the best out of it.
“He’s unbelievable,” Maher said of his younger brother Ronan, who was one of Tipperary’s best performers on Sunday. “He plays like that; carefree, no fear whether it is club training or with Tipp.”
The sense of relief is evident from much of Tipperary’s older contingent. For Maher, losing a fourth All-Ireland final to Kilkenny could have caused untold damage to the group’s collective spirit.
“We always had full belief, but if we had lost it would have been very hard to come back.
“I know it’s very easy to say it now when you have won, but to be honest there are a few of us there for the last few years, and to be beat in another All-Ireland final, no matter who you are beaten by, it would have been some sucker punch.
“That’s why it’s as big a relief just to get over the line.”
“We are after catching up now with Larry [Corbett], and Eoin Kelly and Nicky English, they all have two I think. Declan Ryan has three so he’s the next target for Tipperary guys and then we’ll worry about the rest after that.”
The predator now becomes the prey. Of the chasing pack, Galway and Waterford will feel they are perfectly primed for an All-Ireland assault next year.
Brian Cody will spend the winter plotting Kilkenny’s route back to the top, and the return of 2015 All-Stars Michael Fennelly and Ger Aylward from injury promises to immediately strengthen his hand.
“I met Brian Cody after the match and straight up he said to me that the better team won. The respect for that man in hurling is unbelievable.”
They’ll cross paths again soon enough.
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