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Colin O'Riordan is cleared to play for Tipperary while Jack Kennedy could be back fit.
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O'Riordan cleared by Sydney for Mayo game and fitness boost for Tipperary with forward

Tipperary boss David Power believes the right decision was made in wearing the county’s traditional blue and gold jerseys for the All-Ireland semi-final.

TIPPERARY HAVE CONFIRMED that Colin O’Riordan has been given the green light to play against Mayo in the All-Ireland semi-final while there is positive news on the injury recovery of Jack Kennedy for the Premier footballers.

The news is a boost for manager David Power who revealed tonight they have a full bill of health for the Croke Park game on Sunday 6 December.

“He (Colin) rang me Monday morning and he said he’s after getting full clearance. It was a funny comment, the coach out in Sydney Swans said to him, “Are you telling me you’re playing, or are you asking?”

“So, look, he’ll be available for Sunday week, yeah. Actually, just talking about Sydney Swans and I want to say this as well, I just want to thank Sydney Swans for allowing Colin because they didn’t have to do this.

“I think to be fair to Sydney Swans I don’t think they realised how important the whole thing was until after we actually won on Sunday. They’ve been fantastic and I just want to thank Sydney Swans for everything they’ve done to date.”

Tipperary returned to training last night after Sunday’s historic Munster final success over Cork, their first senior provincial title in 85 years. Kennedy, who started against Clare and Limerick earlier in the Munster championship when he scored 0-5 between the two games, is on the comeback trail, as is young forward Riain Quigley.

“We’d no-one on the table during the session last night,” revealed Power.

“Everyone was out training. Jack Kennedy and Riain Quigley who were out with injury were doing rehab stuff with Ronan on the field and as of now I can’t say whether they’ll be available for the Mayo game but at least they’re making steady progress.”

Kennedy is an experienced figure with plenty big game experience. He won a Munster medal with his club Clonmel Commercials in 2015, while also contesting that same final last year. With Tipperary he featured on the minor team that contested the All-Ireland decider in 2015 and won a Sigerson Cup with UCC in 2019.

Power is content with the decision to wear traditional blue and gold jerseys for the All-Ireland semi-final, believing they would have done a disservice if they had again wore the Bloody Sunday 1920 commemorative green and white jerseys for that Mayo clash.

david-power-celebrates David Power celebrates after Tipperary's win over Cork in the Munster final. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

“It was an honour and a privilege for the players and for me to be involved, to be wearing that green and white jersey for the Munster final. We couldn’t have asked for a better occasion to be wearing that jersey.

“Now, we have to park it. I think we’d be doing it a disservice if we went on to wear it again in an All-Ireland semi-final. We’re very, very proud – I always said that even after the game on Sunday, whether it was the green and white jersey or the blue and gold jersey – but ultimately the blue and gold jersey is the Tipperary jersey and for the players, they want to be wearing the blue and gold jersey.

“That’s in the history books, no one can take away that Munster final and that we wore that green and white jersey but now we drive on and wear the blue and gold jersey against Mayo.”

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