TIPPERARY’S SÉAMUS CALLANAN has backed his team-mate Pádraic Maher to regain his form for the Premier County after being substituted in the second half of their defeat to Limerick.
The long-serving defender has racked up an impeccable number of displays for Tipperary throughout his career and picked up his sixth All-Star award last year.
Before he was whipped off, Maher had started and finished nearly all of the 55 consecutive championship games which he has amassed since his senior debut in 2009.
He spent just 25 minutes off the pitch before the Limerick game but he missed as much in that defeat as he had in the previous 11 years.
He was nursing a knee injury in the weeks leading up to that Limerick game, and Callanan has no doubt that the Thurles Sarsfields man will hit his stride again soon.
“He was in a bit of bother the last few weeks,” Callanan tells the media just a few days after that defeat to Limerick.
“Paudie Maher is probably the greatest hurler in the country over the past decade so he’ll be back, as we all will, from our learnings from last Sunday evenings.
“Preparation obviously wasn’t ideal but no better man to come out and lead us the next day like he has throughout his career.
We all have responsibility and accountability after last Sunday, Paudie is a superb leader and person and player for Tipperary since he put on the jersey first. He will lead this team again.”
Callanan says his side are relieved to still be in contention in this year’s hurling championship after crashing out of the Munster SHC.
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The defending All-Ireland champions were outgunned by the provincial holders earlier this month, slumping to a nine-point defeat which has condemned them to the qualifiers.
Aside from a Jake Morris goal which briefly left just one point between the sides, Liam Sheedy’s charges were chasing the game for much of the contest on a bitterly wet day. Callanan suspects they were worst weather conditions he has ever played in.
“Holding on to hurley was a challenge,” he recalls.
Tipperary now face Cork in Round 2 of the All-Ireland qualifiers this weekend where there are no safety nets left for either side.
“It was very disappointing,” says Callanan.
“We didn’t meet the standards we set for ourselves. We had been happy with our preparation and the performance didn’t follow suit. Look it’s great to still have a chance it is very disappointing, the performance on Sunday.
“You couldn’t put it down to one area now, it just wasn’t us.
Any given day you might have two or three who didn’t get up to a level but the whole team didn’t get up to a level where we would like to be.
“And look there were bad conditions but there were bad conditions for both teams so we had no excuse on that front.”
Cork will come into this meeting at the LIT Gaelic Grounds on the back of a win over Dublin where they got the chance to shake off the cobwebs from their previous defeat to Waterford.
Callanan notes that getting back on the pitch quickly can certainly help a team heal after a loss, and he has already reviewed the video of the Limerick game to get the painful lessons he needs to move forward.
“It’s very hard in real time to analyse what’s going on around the pitch,” he says. “You have to take a look back at it, evaluate what happened and then try and put that right.”
Tipperary captain Séamus Callanan. Sam Barnes / SPORTSFILE
Sam Barnes / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE
With all that behind him now, Callanan believes that the additional rest time will ultimately be beneficial for Tipperary.
“There’s elements of both. We were just delighted to be in the draw and [that] it wasn’t all over for us.
Straight away, you want a game to get back on the horse and get going again, and right the wrongs of Sunday evening. We’re just glad to be in the mix now and an extra week’s preparation won’t be any harm either. And getting the bodies freshened up and ready to go again.
“This time of year, it is taxing on the bodies as well so maybe the extra week will be a good thing as well. Either way, we were just happy. We would have played at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening if we had the opportunity.”
Séamus Callanan was speaking at the launch of NOW TV’s Hurl vs Hurley campaign which will see the nation vote on what is the definitive term for a hurler’s most prized possession.
The result of the poll will be revealed to the public on 12 November. To have your say visit HurlvHurley.com where you can cast your vote right now.
Originally published at 0700
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'Probably the greatest hurler over the past decade' - backing six-time All-Star to lead Tipp again
TIPPERARY’S SÉAMUS CALLANAN has backed his team-mate Pádraic Maher to regain his form for the Premier County after being substituted in the second half of their defeat to Limerick.
The long-serving defender has racked up an impeccable number of displays for Tipperary throughout his career and picked up his sixth All-Star award last year.
Before he was whipped off, Maher had started and finished nearly all of the 55 consecutive championship games which he has amassed since his senior debut in 2009.
He spent just 25 minutes off the pitch before the Limerick game but he missed as much in that defeat as he had in the previous 11 years.
He was nursing a knee injury in the weeks leading up to that Limerick game, and Callanan has no doubt that the Thurles Sarsfields man will hit his stride again soon.
“He was in a bit of bother the last few weeks,” Callanan tells the media just a few days after that defeat to Limerick.
“Paudie Maher is probably the greatest hurler in the country over the past decade so he’ll be back, as we all will, from our learnings from last Sunday evenings.
“Preparation obviously wasn’t ideal but no better man to come out and lead us the next day like he has throughout his career.
Callanan says his side are relieved to still be in contention in this year’s hurling championship after crashing out of the Munster SHC.
The defending All-Ireland champions were outgunned by the provincial holders earlier this month, slumping to a nine-point defeat which has condemned them to the qualifiers.
Aside from a Jake Morris goal which briefly left just one point between the sides, Liam Sheedy’s charges were chasing the game for much of the contest on a bitterly wet day. Callanan suspects they were worst weather conditions he has ever played in.
“Holding on to hurley was a challenge,” he recalls.
Tipperary now face Cork in Round 2 of the All-Ireland qualifiers this weekend where there are no safety nets left for either side.
“It was very disappointing,” says Callanan.
“We didn’t meet the standards we set for ourselves. We had been happy with our preparation and the performance didn’t follow suit. Look it’s great to still have a chance it is very disappointing, the performance on Sunday.
“You couldn’t put it down to one area now, it just wasn’t us.
“And look there were bad conditions but there were bad conditions for both teams so we had no excuse on that front.”
Cork will come into this meeting at the LIT Gaelic Grounds on the back of a win over Dublin where they got the chance to shake off the cobwebs from their previous defeat to Waterford.
Callanan notes that getting back on the pitch quickly can certainly help a team heal after a loss, and he has already reviewed the video of the Limerick game to get the painful lessons he needs to move forward.
“It’s very hard in real time to analyse what’s going on around the pitch,” he says. “You have to take a look back at it, evaluate what happened and then try and put that right.”
With all that behind him now, Callanan believes that the additional rest time will ultimately be beneficial for Tipperary.
“There’s elements of both. We were just delighted to be in the draw and [that] it wasn’t all over for us.
“This time of year, it is taxing on the bodies as well so maybe the extra week will be a good thing as well. Either way, we were just happy. We would have played at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening if we had the opportunity.”
Séamus Callanan was speaking at the launch of NOW TV’s Hurl vs Hurley campaign which will see the nation vote on what is the definitive term for a hurler’s most prized possession.
The result of the poll will be revealed to the public on 12 November. To have your say visit HurlvHurley.com where you can cast your vote right now.
Originally published at 0700
Subscribe to The42′s new member-led GAA Championship show with Marc Ó Sé and Shane Dowling.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
All-Ireland SHC Séamus Callanan Tipperary hurling we go again