Cathal Barrett was dropped off the Tipperary panel for disciplinary reasons on Tuesday night. There were rarely any such issues in Kilkenny, according to Jackie Tyrrell.
Team discipline is one of the most important factors in a successful team. It is a sign of unity, it is a reflection of a common ambition to achieve a common goal, it shows that every team member is prepared to make the same sacrifice and dedication in order to succeed.
Brian Cody’s Kilkenny have been one of the most successful hurling teams of all time. The James Stephens club man has won 11 All-Irelands with the Cats since he took over as manager.
One of the most remarkable facets of Kilkenny’s achievements is their perennial hunger, drive and determination, their ability to back up a winning season with another winning season.
This is one of the most difficult challenges a team can face, rescaling the heights that took such a psychological effort to scale in the first place.
Jackie Tyrrell was a mainstay of Cody’s Kilkenny, winning nine All-Irelands under his fellow club man’s stewardship. Tyrrell identified team discipline as one of the key factors in Kilkenny’s success, and their ability to follow this success with even more success.
He claimed that none of the apparent “messing” that has gone on in other counties – such as Tipperary’s Cathal Barrett’s alleged recent indiscretions – occurred in Kilkenny. Each team member felt a duty to respect his fellow members.
“Any of that messing wasn’t for the Kilkenny set-up. It just didn’t exist. You wouldn’t be able to. Obviously Brian would have never really had to deal with those things. The players would have expected ultimate professionalism. We got it and we were lucky to get it. That was just our set-up but Brian would have created that environment and created leaders to carry that mantle,” said the James Stephens man at the Littlewoods Ireland launch of their All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship sponsorship.
“There was a lot of self-ambition and hunger there,” added Tyrrell. “Brian wouldn’t accept it if you didn’t bring a certain level of work-rate every day. You just wouldn’t be playing.”
It was long rumoured John Mulhall was jettisoned for an ill-judged sing-song, but the forward now hurling with Kildare dismissed that idea on the GAA Hour earlier this year.
Tyrrell still feels that Michael Ryan’s Tipperary will have a huge say in this year’s Championship, referencing their 2010 triumph on the back of their first round trouncing at the hands of Cork. He sees the Premier County making it to the All-Ireland final.
“A lot of it is hearsay. One bad defeat, that same Tipperary team in 2010 had a bad defeat and the wheels seemed to be coming off the wagon then and they turned it around. I would have unbelievable time for Michael Ryan. I think he’s a very, very good manager. I expect them to bounce back.
“When do the wheels come off a wagon? Only when they’re out of the Championship, and they’re not out of the Championship yet. They still have unbelievable hurlers and I would expect them to be back. I think they’ll be in an All-Ireland final,” said Tyrrell.
Littlewoods Ireland style ambassador Jackie Tyrrell was at the launch of the Littlewoods Ireland sponsorship of the GAA Senior All-Ireland Hurling Championship to announce their #StyleOfPlay campaign will be following on from its introduction in the recent Littlewoods Ireland National Camogie Leagues.
***
