Tipperary renaissance man John McGrath on how he bounced back in 2025
McGrath's 2022 Championship campaign was brought to a premature close by a ruptured Achilles tendon and, even after his return, the injury continued to nag at him. With his form well short of the levels of 2016 and '19, when he was a key forward on Tipperary's All-Ireland winning sides, he was no longer an automatic selection.
But that was turned on its head this year as the management 'took a chance', as McGrath says, with him for the Championship opener against Limerick. He hit 2-1 that day as Tipp salvaged a draw and he never looked back.
In Sunday's All-Ireland final win over Cork, he scored 2-2 and was fouled for a further 1-2 which Darragh McCarthy converted from placed balls. He finished the Championship as joint top scorer from play with 7-16, alongside Dublin's Cian O'Sullivan (5-22).
McGrath was outstanding for Loughmore-Castleiney locally last year and feels that Tipperary's early elimination may have helped him to rediscover his best form.
'It's been a great year,' said McGrath. 'I couldn't put the last few years all down to bad injury, I suppose. The form wasn't great for a while before that as well.
"I think maybe even just the break that time, the break from playing, just got the body kind of recovered a bit again. And it took a while, maybe after, to really get going.
'But no, some year, just thrilled to be back stuck in the middle of it. It's unreal to be just toughing it out there with lads and testing yourself. And that's what everyone wants to do.'
With his inter-county career effectively written off by many, McGrath admitted that he was fuelled by a desire to prove his critics wrong.
'You probably do have them thoughts. Like yeah, you probably don't bring it out too much. There has to be some part of it probably that hurts you a little bit maybe or you find frustrating or hard, I suppose, when you're used to playing and competing and being relatively successful.
'And then to maybe not being in the team at times, like, it's tough. Any good sportsman, I suppose, that you have a bit about yourself, I suppose, you do. You want to prove people wrong. You want to get back and show people what you're able to do.'
With manager Liam Cahill introducing a raft of younger players, the 30-year-old said that they infused him with fresh energy.
'I think a lot of lads have remarked on it. It is infectious. And they're coming on there. We've probably had a few middling years and they know no different to winning and competing at underage at the end of championships. And sometimes you just need something like that maybe to give an extra little bit of impetus to lads.'
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