DAVY FITZGERALD INSISTS Colm Bonnar deserves more time at the helm in Tipperary after a disappointing campaign that saw them finish bottom of the Munster round-robin.
The Premier lost four from four in the championship and the former All-Ireland winning manager believes they are well behind the other teams in the province as it stands.
“My honest opinion is they are bit behind the rest of the Munster teams,” he said on the Sunday Game.
“In know they’re building and are in transition but I’d be disappointed with how they performed in the Munster championship. I think Tipperary people would be too. ”They were so far off the mark (against Cork).
Bonnar still has two years remaining on his term after this season and Fitzgerald says Tipperary should stick with him. They may yet be forced to play a relegation play-off if Kerry beat Antrim in the Joe McDonagh Cup final.
“Colm deserves another year to make sure he can get that team to gel better,” said the Clare man.
“But they’ve got to be tighter. I know it’s his first year move that ball short but there’s more intensity needed there, a bit more pace. It’s going to be a tough year or two ahead for them.”
@TipperaryGAA require a bit more intensity but the county should stick with Colm Bonnar, says Davy Fitzgerald #rtegaa #thesundaygame pic.twitter.com/EOzTudcvmA
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) May 22, 2022
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Tipp have been contenders since 2008. All good things come to an end and will need 2-3 years to rebuild. No panic needed .
Couldn’t happen to a nicer crowd
@Niall Lee: definitely
@Niall Lee: jealousy an awful thing …gimp
No he has to go. There’s been no development – Tipp are in a worse place now than they were this time last year and management carries responsibility for that. The performances against Clare and Cork were abysmal – possibly the worst in living memory.
@offtheball: were you not alive during second Babs era?
All joking aside, while I was never convinced by Bonnars appointment, and it has been very disappointing, there is no doubting he was left a mess by Sheedy.
The senior was basically the same spine of team since 2008 and rest were the 2016 class, and Sheedy persevered with those lads until they were running on fumes.
Now we have a generation of players (Cahill’s u-20 teams), who are coming into their mid 20s having barely been involved at senior intercounty and are expected to carry the team.
Bonnar likely not the man for this rebuild, but laying the blame for the current state of the senior team is beyond harsh.