Niall O'Meara says small margins stopped Tipperary winning back-to-back All-Irelands
Michael Bolton
Former Tipperary hurler Niall O'Meara says consistency will be the key for Tipperary if they are to win back-to-back All-Ireland titles.
Tipperary were Liam MacCarthy champions once again after they defeated Cork in the final last July in Croke Park.
This season, the target will be to retain their title, something they have not done since 1965.
A young team with good squad depth and underage success, the next few years have the potential to be very successful for Tipperary.
Looking back at his playing days, O'Meara, who won All-Irelands in 2016 and 2019, says it was small-margins which denied the Premier county winning back-to-back All-Irelands.
"I think there ia a target on your back. If you are another county, you are looking at Tipperary or who won the last few All-Irelands and saying how do we get the better of them?
"If you have one off day, you are caught. In 2015, we lost by a point to Galway. In 2017, we lost by a point to Galway. In 2020, it was Covid year, so it is hard to put a finger on that.
"From my time, we were always close enough to where we want to be. I wouldn't say there was internal pressure to do it. Everyone knew why they were there.
"That is the great thing about amateur sport, there was no one getting 50 grand a week to go to Thurles, you are all there to get the Liam MacCarthy medal."
It was a huge difference from 2024, when Tipperary failed to get out of Munster.
In a season where Clare won the All-Ireland, after years if dominance from Limerick, it looked like their closest rivals were pulling away.
However, O'Meara puts their win over Clare last year in Ennis as the turning point for the team.
"I think the turning point was actually down in Ennis when Andrew Ormond got his first start. Tipperary had a 10-point lead, and Clare started to turn the sails. They brought on Shane O'Donnell, and he made a monster catch in front of me.
"It was like, 'ooh, this could be make or break for this Tipp group?' And they actually dogged it out and got over the line.
"We always had a lot of talent. Tipp would always fancy ourselves as having a lot of hurlers. But to create a team, you have to have a plan.
"Mikey Bevans and Liam brought through their cohort really well from the minors and Under-20s. They kicked on. And Tipperary always feel they have a chance in Croke Park. And that ended up being the way."
So far this season, Tipperary have won two of their three games in Division 1A, with wins over Galway and Offaly, followed by a defeat to Cork last weekend.
O'Meara has liked what he has seen from Liam Cahill's side so far this season.
"I think they'd be very happy. I suppose down in Cork the weekend, I didn't really enjoy the game too much; there was a bit too much shadowboxing.
"I suppose coming after the All-Ireland final last year, Cork might have had a bit more in the tank to try and win it.
"But Tipp will be delighted. I was very impressed with Cathal O'Reilly at corner-back, and Jake Morris continues to go from strength to strength.
"There are no medals won in February, but it's about building. People would say he [Cahill] hasn't timed things right in years previous - but he certainly did last year."