Sheedy counting on last year's experience
August 31, 2010
Former Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy
"It's always a help," the Tipp manager said.
"We have twice as much experience this year than we had last year. These are a very level-headed group of lads and all they want to do is play and play to their potential. And even the fact that they have been through minor and under 21 finals helps, because it is very much the same preparations, so thankfully they have got comfortable with that. It is definitely a benefit having been through it."
Sheedy identifies the gripping All-Ireland quarter-final victory over Galway as the turning point in Tipp's season.
"Winning tight games is always a big plus. When you win a tight game it stands to you. We had won in Croke Park the previous year against Limerick but Limerick would be the first one themselves to say that they did not just turn up on the day so it was made a little bit easy for us on that day. But Galway came at us in droves, really pushed us hard.
"There's huge credit due to the lads - there was an awful lot of people maybe jumped on their case on the morning of May 31 after we were knocked out of the Munster championship.
"People sometimes forget as well that this is very much a young team. The half forward line the last day, there was a 19-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old. They are still very much in the development stage. We have five Under-21s on the overall team."
Sheedy is full of praise for Kilkenny, who he describes as the "greatest team to ever grace a hurling field".
He said: "It is remarkable that they could put a team like Cork away in 25 minutes after losing their centre-back and centre-forward, and just carry on, business as usual.
"I'm under no illusions in terms of the challenge that lies ahead. For us there is no other team in the country that we would rather be in there to have a go at. I think we're little more battle hardened this year s well, and that the squad is in a strong position.
"There is huge competition from within the squad - the team becomes easy to pick, and when you know the same faces are going to appear, that's when you know that you don't have competition. That's when you are in real trouble.
"They deserve great credit for that level of competition within the squad." Tweet
