MICHAEL RYAN DIDN’T conceal his displeasure after yesterday’s hurling league final defeat at the Gaelic Grounds.
His Tipperary team suffered a heavy beating by 16 points against Galway and their manager termed it ‘the worst performance’ during his reign at the helm.
“I can’t explain where it all went wrong. That was a complete non-show from us.
“It was the worst performance we’ve had in the length of time I’ve been looking after these boys, very disappointing in a national final, that we’d choose today to come up with one of those.
“We’ll go back and have a think about things but nothing appeared out of order to us since this day last week. We were just flat and, to be fair, counter that with Galway, who gave a sterling performance and showed all the right attributes – hunger, power, passion, precision, they had all those things in abundance.
“Credit (to) Galway. They were deserving winners by a country mile, as it was on the scoreboard.
“We looked way below where we’d like to be in several positions on the field. I’ve been involved in games like this, I’ve played in games like this, and it’s not nice.
“It’ll hurt nobody more than our players, but it’s done, that’s all we can say about it now.”
Ryan was disappointed for the Tipperary supporters that they could not see their team collect another national title to follow on from last September’s Liam MacCarthy Cup triumph.
“I don’t have the answers here for you today. It’s very disappointing. I’m nearly more disappointed for the supporters who came here today and who’ve been supporting us all year long.
“Like, that’s not this team. It’s the flattest performance we’ve ever produced and it’s very disappointing that that comes on the day of a national final when there was silverware on offer.
“But look, it is what it is. As I say, eight games in ten weeks – eight high-calibre games, as far as I was concerned, certainly seems to have taken its toll on us.”
Tipperary’s focus will now shift to their next assignment in four weeks time – a Munster championship quarter-final with Cork.
Ryan’s players face a hectic schedule before then with club games on the horizon.
“The league is done, it’s been eight games in ten weeks, and it’s been pretty intense. It’s time for us to draw breath and to lay our plans for the Munster championship – that’s coming at us fast
“These guys, they’re not machines. We had certainly laid our plans upon winning today and being able to rest the guys for the week ahead. We’ll still follow that plan, but it is a real concern of ours just in terms of the workload that’s expected from them.
“Because you know yourselves, county championship at home is huge. North championship the following week is going to be huge for them, and there’s also a round of county football in there.
“It’s not ideal preparation. It will give us two weeks, or 13 days, from this day fortnight to the Cork game.
“Absolutely it is a concern of ours and we would certainly be impressing that view upon our county board. This group needs to be protected as well.”
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