Liam Sheedy: 'They are gone to the depths here in Tipp. That's not unusual, take it from me!'

Mon, 29 Apr, 2024 - 19:56

PJ Browne

Liam Sheedy believes Tipperary's remaining three matches of this year's Munster Hurling Championship are not only important for this campaign but for several to come.

After the 15-point defeat to Limerick on Sunday, Sheedy thinks players like Jason Forde, Ronan Maher, Bonner Maher, Noel McGrath and Dan McCormack could call time on their careers if they do not see a glimmer of hope in the games against Waterford, Cork and Clare.

"That's where the next three matches are big," Sheedy told Dalo's Irish Examiner Hurling Show, "not just from a Tipperary 2024 point of view, but Tipperary in '25, '26, '27.

"This is a big few weeks and I think this is a big five days for this group because when you see people leaving with 15 minutes to go, how many will travel down to Waterford?"

Dalo’s Irish Examiner Hurling Show: Clare go to the max. Too old, too slow, 2-10. Tipp in a hole

Sheedy said the people of Tipperary expected a big performance against Limerick. He felt "the towel was thrown in" at the Gaelic Grounds.

"The commentary beforehand was 'Look, this is a team in transition. I don't think we'll be ready for the might of Limerick but definitely we should be in the running for a top three position'," he said.

"The commentary doesn't be long changing. 11 minutes is enough to change commentary to say, 'We're going to be down for a long time, lads. Everything is wrong now'. They are gone to the depths here in Tipp. That's not unusual, take it from me! I've heard it many a time before.

"We were outscored 2-7 to 0-2 in that 11-minute period from the 42nd minute to the 53rd minute. I just wonder with the group, are they strong enough to deal with that? I think it's great that they only have a week because you wouldn't need that lingering around the group for two or three weeks.

Tipperary manager Liam Cahill and Limerick manager John Kiel. Photo by Tom Beary/Sportsfile

"After a superb performance last year in Thurles, where they went toe-to-toe with [Limerick], I expected that we'd be competitive. I was saying 'God, if we could get them down the home straight, get it to 60 minutes, and be in the game'.

"At 2-22 to 0-13, I couldn't believe where we'd found ourselves from being six points all. It's a big test of Liam [Cahill] but equally it's a big test of the players and their mindset. Have they got the steel and the resolve?"

Sheedy said that Cathal Barrett, who has struggled with an injury this year but did play for Holycross-Ballycahill at the weekend, could be an option for Cahill.

"Liam Cahill and Mikey Bevans have always produced teams where you just know what you're going to get. You didn't see that [against Limerick]," said Sheedy.

"I'd be less worried about the personnel and more concerned with the energy and the way they show up. What we saw [on Sunday] was very downbeat from what we normally see."

Former Limerick manager TJ Ryan said he was giving Tipperary a "freebie" against the four-in-a-row All-Ireland champions. Ryan felt they should be judged on this weekend's clash with Waterford. Ryan also queried the timing of a recent Tipperary training camp in Portugal but Sheedy thought it wasn't an issue.

"They were going to have their A vs B match, or their Probables vs Possibles match, on the Thursday. It wasn't about a massive block of work," said Sheedy.

"I thought it was more about clarity, game plan, having their analysis. The word and the talk was 'We had a really good week. We're clear now on what we're going after and we're getting a chance to have a go off Limerick'. I was getting very positive vibes of where the group were at."