Ronan Maher believes getting out of Munster was key to unlocking the potential within this Tipperary team as they finish up preparations ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC final clash with Cork.
The current Tipperary captain has hurled through highs and lows with the county since making his senior debut in 2014.
Maher was part of the Premier County’s 2016 and 2019 Liam MacCarthy Cup-winning sides, but went from that latter All-Ireland triumph until this year without even playing again in Croke Park. The county has not won a provincial senior title since 2016.
Indeed, Tipperary failed to win a single game in last year’s Munster Senior Hurling Championship, finishing bottom of the five-team group and with a scoring difference of minus 36.
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However, they negotiated a passage out of the provincial championship this term and have since beaten Laois, Galway and Kilkenny to qualify for Sunday’s decider.
This is Maher’s second year as Tipperary senior captain and the tenacious defender believes much of their year hinged on simply advancing beyond Munster.
If results aren’t going your way, we will hear about it
— Ronan Maher
“You set out at the start of the year and the main objective is to get out of Munster and to qualify. When you get to Croke Park we always felt that we would open up,” says Maher.
“I don’t think you’re at much if you don’t believe that you can [get out of Munster]. That belief comes from the preparation we’d done throughout the winter, the work we’d put in together. We’re a really close group.
“Last year was a huge setback for us. It was always our aim to get out of Munster this year, we managed to do that and thankfully we’ve stayed going.”
The 29-year-old is not the first Tipp player to reference the tightness of the group. Certainly, the character and resilience of the team was evident during the All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny.
“Having a tight group is everything,” continues Maher. “We try to block out everything. Some of us don’t go on social media so you’re not listening to that outside noise. But obviously in Tipperary our supporters can be tough at times, and rightly so. If results aren’t going your way, we will hear about it.
“That’s where your tight group comes in, I suppose it’s focusing on training every single night that you go up. I feel like we’ve got a lot tighter this year. I think I’ve seen that on the pitch as well. And it’s not false either, it’s a really good, close group of players.”
Maher hopes to become the ninth Thurles Sarsfields player to captain Tipperary to All-Ireland glory, with the previous eighth celebrated with a mural on their clubhouse walls.
“I’m just hugely honoured to be captain of such a great team, we’ve really come up a few levels this year,” adds Maher.
“There are so many leaders in that group, so many lads that have been around for a good few years. I’m really just thrilled and honoured to represent them.”
He acknowledges that there were dark periods on the road to this stage. In particular, in the aftermath of last year’s campaign, when their season ended on May 24th, a lot of questions hung over Tipperary hurling.
“There were lots of sleepless nights when we finished up in the championship,” recalls Maher of last year’s disappointment.
“There were a lot of tough conversations had from players to players, the management had tough conversations with us too. We were all in it together.
“I suppose there were a few little changes made and we were really looking forward to getting back training, because you want to right those wrongs and come together as a group.
“When you’re away from each other it’s really hard and you’re thinking the whole time. So it was definitely a tough part of the year.
“When we finished up against Clare last year in Semple Stadium, even at that stage we were almost talking about it. And we were ready to go for the following year because it just really wasn’t us as a group.
“We’ve parked that now. The focus is always on what you can do going forward rather than looking back.”
After two difficult seasons for Liam Cahill at the helm, the players are also delighted to have repaid their manager for his efforts.
“It’s great to get him back up to Croke Park and I think he deserves it more than anybody else,” says Maher. “We put down a tough season last year and I suppose we as players didn’t represent Liam the way he should have been represented last year.
“That was our aim, just to get back playing for him and for the management team and the way they’ve brought us up and how to play hurling for Tipperary.”
