‘Raining’ champs wash their hands of the Tribesmen in Thurles; London draws a points share; Harty hopes of four in-a-row.
Those of a certain vintage will recall the book – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – on the school curriculum. Well in FBD Semple Stadium on Saturday evening we almost had the 2026 League under water as the Allianz campaign got underway in a mud bath thanks to the inclement weather.
Raining and reigning – those were the buzz words as Galway came to town and the All-Ireland champions gracefully accepted the guard of honour accorded by the visitors as the heavenly tears crashed onto the surface of the pitch leaving it sodden and difficult for the practitioners. This would not be a free-flowing, top-of-the-ground type of encounter – that was evident from the moment patrons started to make their way towards Thurles. No, this would be a battle of wits and wills and the requirement for resilience and determination perhaps even out-weighed the necessity for silken skills.
Mind you, the creation and execution of the all-important Darragh Stakelum goal, with Andrew Ormond and Jake Morris central to the plot, had plenty to write home about. It was a well worked move and a brilliant finish from the younger Stakelum whose brother Conor also hurled up a storm on the night – perhaps the dread of familial slagging drove the two Tipp lads as their Galway cousins watched on.
This win is an important one for Tipperary. Creating a Semple fortress has long been on the mind of the manager and in a game which was so tight for so long, to emerge with the two points was indeed satisfactory and perhaps illustrated the attitude of the set-up to the league. Yes, we started strong in terms of personnel, but we still managed to hand out debuts to a few players and there is no doubt but that others will follow in the coming weeks, perhaps starting next Sunday in Tullamore when the side will be hosted by Offaly.
Jake Morris had another fine outing and appears to have just taken up where he left off from the 2025 campaign. Bryan O’Mara was also impressive at number 6 while Cathal O’Reilly made a dream start to his inter county senior career. There is worry at the knocks picked up by Joe Caesar and Robert Doyle, coupled with the Alan Tynan collarbone injury and the fact that Ronan Maher is being nursed back from groin surgery. However, the strength of the panel will be determined by how they get over the losses of these players and ultimately how their fare in the league.
Judging by the optics so far, they are in good fettle and were they to add another victory next weekend in Tullamore, they would be well on their way to being involved in the concluding stages of the league -something the management, the players, the County Board, and the supporters would really love. It certainly didn’t do the team any harm in 2025, despite the league final outcome.
Ultimately, it was the season end outcome which mattered and on that score, Tipperary had top marks. But, while those marks emerged from the final paper, the study had been done during the course of the league and the championship round robin. Tipperary are back on the horse, the engine is rolling again and the hope will be that the results can continue to be positive as the Allianz campaign presses on.
We will see different combinations in the team selections as management seek to give as many players game-time while also assessing the suitability of players to various positions. The ultimate goal will be to have definitive cover for all positions on the field of play so that automatic switches can be made when it comes to championship games. If a player is injured, a replacement should slot in without affecting team formation – the same if a player is having an off-day or an opponent is getting the better of somebody. So, from these points of view, the league is an essential tool in the continuous development and evolution of the side.
Footballers Draw again in London.
Winning an Allianz NFL game in Ruislip is becoming something of a chore for the Tipp footballers – Sunday’s 0-21 each stalemate was the second such outcome in three years in the London venue. Mind you the result also means that Tipperary have not defeated London in their last three outings – the Exiles defeated Tipp in last year’s campaign when they made the trip to FBD Semple Stadium and made off with the loot. On a positive note from a Tipp perspective, the campaign has commenced and though on their travels, they did manage to come away with a point – how crucial that point could be when the final tallies are counted, who knows at this stage?
Next up for the footballers is the visit of Antrim to the Premier County next weekend – another tough one for Niall Fitzgerald’s men. But, they are building a team and the momentum gained from having games week after week will be very much to their benefit. The key now is to get a few wins under the belt and maintain interest in the league right up to the final games.
Two out of three wouldn’t be bad – four-in-a-row would be great.
The siege of Ennis is on the cards next weekend as Nenagh CBS go in search of a second Dr Harty Cup title in three years – Meatloaf’s assertion that two out of three aint bad could well be case in point for the Nenagh school. On the horizon, the famed St Flannan’s of Ennis and if Nenagh CBS are to make it four Dr Harty Cup titles in succession for Tipperary schools, they will have to be at their best. The side is certainly capable of winning the crown and they have shown great determination and resilience in the campaign so far – one more step and the Harty Cup will cross the border into Tipperary again.
If they are to win, they may well point to their neighbours in Thurles as having proffered a huge favour on them – in the semi-final epic at Templederry, Nenagh had to strain every sinew to get over the holders and in managing that, they got to a level of performance which they can be certain will yield silverware, provided they can produce a repeat of that outing. The cutting of the cake is in their hands. We wish them well on the big day -the biggest there is for a young hurler in second level competition.