Niall Fitzgerald says his new Tipperary football charges are desperate to honour Philly Ryan’s memory.

Last year’s U20 boss has stepped up to fill the senior manager’s vacancy left by Ryan’s sudden passing at the age of just 56 in October.

"Philly was such a massive part of Tipperary GAA. There’s a hole in Tipperary football," Fitzgerald told RTÉ.

"It's just a dreadful situation. We mention Philly. We talk about Philly. Philly is a huge part of that group of players.

"I'm not trained to deal with it. I don't know who is. It's a very, very difficult situation that very few teams have to deal with. All we can do is try and mirror his passion for Tipperary and mirror that on the field."

The Moyle Rovers clubman revealed how his backroom team have helped him to settle into his new role.

"It's been challenging, but I've been very lucky to get really good people involved with me," he added.

"Peter Tormey, Conor McNally, Barry Mullane, having Donnacha Mulcahy, the S&C coach from last year, and then the medical team as well, that has been a huge help.

"I'd say I've a few more grey hairs. That's just part of it. But it's been enjoyable. I've been really impressed with the effort from the players, and that's all you can hope for."

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