REACTION: Injury concerns over star Tipp hurler after U20s qualify for Munster decider

“I don’t know. It’s just very disappointing, to be honest,” said Tipperary U20 boss Brendan Cummins after the narrow loss to Clare last week.

“The dressing room is a very quiet place now for the boys, they’re really disappointed.

“I thought in the finish that we deserved to get the draw but it was just unfortunate that the last free went against us.

“I suppose later in the week we’ll realise that we’re in a Munster Final but for now, it’s just disappointing that we didn’t win.”

The visitors approach to the game came as a surprise to Cummins and his management team and this, in his opinion, was why the game was so low scoring and tight but despite going in at half-time four points down, he was happy with his players’ response in the second half.

“We were surprised after five minutes that Clare set up with a full sweeper so that was always going to make a dour affair,” he reflected.

“But the lads responded well in the second half after going in four points down. There was a breeze there, there’s no doubt about that, but I’m delighted with the way we responded.

“We created a lot of goal chances. I think we took 27 shots at goal and I think we took eight from play, but either way, we still have an awful lot to work on.

“I’ve seen a lot of Clare and they’re a really good team and they’ll take some stopping by Cork now.”

Paddy McCormack had a terrific opening quarter up front for Tipperary in which the Borris-Ileigh forward bagged three points from play and looked a general menace, but the nature of his thumb injury now has Tipperary sweating on his availability going forward.

“We’re going to have to get a scan and an x-ray on it. I’m not too sure how good it looks but either way, we’ll keep hoping that Paddy will be okay. It seemed like a nasty enough clash of a hurley.

“I think what we really won tonight was a couple of week’s rest. It would have been difficult to go again next Friday night in reality and that’s what we’ve achieved.

“Our free game was in round one so we would have had to go four weeks in a row.

“We said to the lads at half-time, that we have to get back to basics and try to win the game and play it a little bit more simpler. And we did.

“It’s hard you know. After we played Cork here it was like we were all-singing and all-dancing and that’s the way it is.

“The lads had a week then where they’d meet people outside who’d tell them they’re doing well.

“But we’ll knuckle back down again and the cornerstone of what we’re doing is work rate and we saw loads of that out there today and that is the key thing for us. Whoever we meet in the Munster Final, whether it’s Cork or Clare, it’s going to be a serious battle and we have two weeks to get ready for that,” he finished.