Liam Sheedy happy with 'flashes of brilliance' from new Tipperary talent

Liam Sheedy doesn’t believe there is any psychological need for Tipperary to beat Clare in this Saturday evening’s Division 1A Round 1 game.

Liam Sheedy happy with 'flashes of brilliance' from new Tipperary talent

Liam Sheedy doesn’t believe there is any psychological need for Tipperary to beat Clare in this Saturday evening’s Division 1A Round 1 game.

Clare have beaten their neighbours in their last three clashes, most recently last Sunday week in the Munster Hurling League final.

The counties face off in Semple Stadium where the Banner knocked Tipperary out of the Championship last year but Sheedy isn’t placing much store in the game from the perspective of getting one back on them.

“I don’t think psychological battles are won at the end of January, to be honest with you,” he told Tipp FM’s Extra Time. “I don’t think it would make a massive impact winning or losing, but I think it’s a lovely opportunity for us to get back out on the pitch. Any time you lose, you get an opportunity to learn and try different things so we learned a huge amount from the Munster League, not just in the Clare match but all three matches.

“We needed that (the competition) badly. Some of those guys like Pádraic Maher, Cathal Barrett… a lot of those had just two weeks training before they were going into a Munster League match so to have gotten that is hugely invaluable.

Over the course of the Munster League, we got a chance to blood some of the new talent. Barry Hogan played his fourth league match in a Tipperary jersey and that was a Munster League final. Colin English, Killian O’Dwyer, Mark Kehoe, and Jake Morris all showed flashes of brilliance.

Sheedy took plenty from the 4-19 to 1-18 defeat to Clare in the Gaelic Grounds.

“We all, including myself, got a baptism of fire in Limerick but wasn’t it great to get that and understand the pace of the game and looking at the team who potentially would say to themselves they should have won the All-Ireland last year. So now we have a chance to go up against them again and all of that is part of our building process. The build is going really well but we’re only laying foundations at the moment.”

The 2010 All-Ireland winning manager is in no doubt about the leadership qualities of his younger players.

“I think there is a huge body of leadership and I think it exists in all grades. Some of the things those young guys were doing had me standing up and saying, ‘God, they’re experienced long beyond their years’. I think they’re all very committed to Tipperary and getting the best out of themselves, irrespective of their age.

“Whether you’re one year or 10 years with the group, if you’re good enough you’re old enough and everyone has the ability and potential to lead.

“I’m certainly very happy with the leadership qualities they are showing every Tuesday, every Friday, and every weekend on the training pitch.

It is full-on this time of year. They’re in the gym Monday and Wednesday, they’re on the pitch Tuesday and Friday, we’re doing something every weekend and they do all of that work for the love of the county and the jersey and it’s something I certainly don’t take for granted.

Sheedy stressed Tipperary will shift their shape to complement the players they have.

“The day of the conventional one to 15 is gone — you’ve got to have that versatility in your team, you’ve got to have that versatility in your game, and it is about positioning your players that allows this team to really play to its strengths and that’s something we have to work out.”

Sheedy has been trying to strike a balance with Fitzgibbon Cup commitments so his student players are not being overburdened. When they have been doing physical work with the colleges, he has ensured they aren’t doing the same with him. “I want them fit at the back end of the league and what is going to be a very busy Munster championship schedule.”

The Portroe man revealed 28 players are fit for the game with the likes of James Barry, Jamie Moloney, Brian McGrath, John McGrath, and John O’Dwyer available in the coming weeks while Brendan Maher is sidelined for longer as he completes his recovery from anterior cruciate ligament surgery.

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