Relief for Tipp supporters as injury fears are allayed for key player who missed Laois game

Tipperary secured a quarter-final place in the All-Ireland series with a minimum of fuss last Saturday afternoon in Portlaoise, and afterward, manager Liam Cahill was happy that the job was done with no casualties or hiccups.

READ NEXT: REVEALED: Venue for Tipperary hurlers' quarter-final with Galway this Saturday confirmed

“I'm delighted with our application, I suppose. Started the match really well, kind of petered out a bit after 15-20 minutes, and then corrected a few little things at half time and put the game to bed early in the second half, and gave us an opportunity then to get a bit of time into other guys as well.

“So all in all, a good afternoon's work. Laois, not easy coming off a defeat last weekend, not a nice place to be over the last 6-7 days to try and get their house in order. 

“But being the people they are in Laois and the proud hurling county they are, they battled hard right up to the end. We're just glad now to have won the qualification to the quarter-final proper next weekend.

“We've got a good block of training in since the completion of the Munster Championship, and it's a case now of really freshening up for this day week against Galway, who will be historically a really dangerous opposition for Tipperary.”

The four-week break was put to good use, according to Cahill.

“It is, I think, the first step was just to give fellas a bit of time back, a week break to get back into the swing of things and just come down from the exertions of a really intense Munster Championship. So that was priority, and then we started to give them a chance to go back to their clubs as well, which is really important.

“A number of players got County League action in and got back in among their own at home to come down a little bit and then we ramped it up over the last two weeks and then today obviously getting through it injury-free as you've said and now it's a case of freshening up for the next six days to the task that lies ahead with Galway.”

The absence of Eoghan Connolly from the matchday squad had concerns raised in Tipperary supporters’ circles in the lead up to the game, but Cahill alleviated those worries, with Connolly set to be available on Saturday next to face Galway.

“Eoghan has a soft tissue injury that we just wanted to be careful of. The game was just a bit soon for him; he did a great bit of work during the week, but we just need to get another session or two into Eoghan tomorrow and Tuesday, leading into next weekend.

“We only look back to learn from what has happened. We turned the page today very quickly, we’ll get really focused now for six or seven days' time, and as I said, Galway are a really, really dangerous opposition. Historically, with really strong Tipperary teams down the years, they've caused us great difficulty, and we will not be going into this game with our eyes half-closed or not ready for what's coming.

“We know what's going to come from Galway. They will be very sore after the Leinster final. They'll feel they only hurled for 15 minutes, maybe less, and could have got something out of the game. So they're a very, very dangerous opposition for us.”

READ NEXT: IN PICTURES: Tipperary support continues to build with plenty of blue and gold in Portlaoise!