‘Bonner’ Maher oiling Tipperary’s engine as they prepare to drive at Kilkenny

The best Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher story doing the rounds just now falls neatly into the category of it ought-to-be-true-even- if-it-isn’t. Last summer, he and some friends went out for a round of golf and whereas his three playing partners took trolleys for their bags, Bonner said he’d carry his. So far, so what, right?

Well, at some point in the round, he got stuck in a greenside bunker so one of the lads went to move his bag closer to the next tee. But when they went to lift it, it was nearly stuck to the ground. When they asked Maher what was the story, he shrugged and said he kept a few bricks in the bag to carry around. As a bit of a work-out, like.

Now. Even if we can't quite swear as to the veracity of the tale, there is no shortage of testimonials who would back up the essential truth within it. Lar Corbett has always called him the ultimate athlete in the Tipperary squad, a man with no peer when it comes to physique.

An army man who doesn’t drink or smoke, Maher played the whole of the semi-final against Cork in pain after suffering a freak injury in the warm-up and subsequently waving away any efforts to take him off the pitch. “Every time we wanted to take him off, he was showing for another ball,” said Eamon O’Shea that day. “I mean the man is extraordinary, not just as an athlete. He’s a phenomenal player.”

Keith Wood used to call Alan Quinlan the world’s most annoying rugby player – in a nice way, obviously. By the same token, there can’t be many more annoying hurlers to play against than Maher. His athleticism is such that no defender can be happy that the ball is cleared until they see it soar away, his hooking and blocking and tackling the relentless progressions of an seemingly endless engine.

Athletic family

“I used to run a bit of cross-country,” Maher says. “On my mother’s side would have been a very athletic family. This year I did a little bit of training on my own with a few runners in Galway – two boys that gave a lot of help in terms of getting me quicker and I think it is standing to me . . .”

Of course, Maher has been far more this summer than just a destructive force. In 16 games for Tipp before this year, his sum total of scores was 1-4. In five games in 2014, he’s chipped in with 2-3. His first goal of the championship was also Tipp’s first – an early effort against Limerick from a ball that he had no right to get to. Though the day ended badly for Tipp, Maher has been key to their reinvigoration.

“It was a loss and you just have to take it. You can’t have any regrets, you have to move on . . . you just have to learn from it. It was tough, we were all gutted after it.

“The mood in the dressing room was very bad but we picked ourselves up and said we could either dwell on the past, which is no good to no one or we can drive on and start working harder. We have done that and every step along we just try to work as hard as we can and get the best performance out of ourselves.

“I enjoy being a Tipp player. We have got a great unit there at the moment. When you put yourself out there playing GAA or in any sport you are open for criticism but you have to take it. When results don’t go your way there is not much you can do about it. You can only learn from it . . ..”

Much heed

The movement and dash between him, Lar Corbett and Séamie Callanan has been the oil in Tipp’s engine ever since, recapturing the space creation principles that made them All -Ireland champions in Maher’s first season. This year, as with every other year he’s played for Tipp, their last game of the summer will be against Kilkenny. His record so far is Played 4, Lost 3, Won 1. Not that he pays it very much heed.

“People will say there is a rivalry there – maybe there is. Maybe it heightens a little bit, they bring the best out of us and we bring the best out of them as well. But I approach every game the same.”