6 days ago
Patrick 'Bonner' Maher excited by what can emerge from Tipperary pipeline
Things are stirring in Tipp again.
On Saturday last, the Premier accounted for Kilkenny in the All-Ireland Under-20 final in the Cats' own backyard, this a year after a similar success was achieved at minor level against the same opposition in the Marble City.
Liam Cahill's senior side are through to the All-Ireland series in the race for Liam MacCarthy and just narrowly missed out on a place in the Munster final.
Tipperary had endured a few years of provincial strife, their failure to raise any sort of a gallop leaving their fans deflated. No such deflation this summer as they strive to safely negotiate a few more obstacles in the high-stakes race for the biggest prize of all.
One man who has been there and done that is Patrick Maher, known the world over as 'Bonner'.
For 16 seasons, he graced the fields at senior level for Tipperary, winning three All-Irelands and a couple of All-Stars. Last autumn, he called time on all that.
And now he watches on from afar. Maher has not been present at a Tipp match in this calendar year. It's not that he has lost interest, far from it, as he explained at the launch of the 2025 Electric Ireland GAA All-Ireland Minor Championships.
"I haven't gone to any of the games, but I'm still engaged," he said.
"I think the emotions and nerves would get to me. I'm following it closely, though. It's so different to when you were involved yourself. It was a big chunk of my life; 16 years at the senior level, so there has been a readjustment.
"It's like everything else, something will fill the void. I'm playing a bit of golf and I'm still hurling away with the club, doing a bit of coaching. My job is keeping me busy. But it is hard to fill that gap, the moment when you run out in the first round of the championship down in Thurles or getting ready for the Liam MacCarthy in the All-Ireland series."
That said, it was a case of no regrets when the Lorrha–Dorrha clubman made the decision to end his inter-county career last October.
"I was fairly blunt about it and made my decision," he revealed.
"You're seeing younger lads coming and you're thinking it's my time to step away. It was bittersweet for me, I'm physically in good shape, but I knew it was time to walk away."
Maher is walking away at a point where he sees real potential for Tipperary. He has played with some of those U20s, an emerging crop that can now boast silverware. The gradual introduction of these young guns, he hopes, will bear fruit for a county that sees its place permanently at the top table, though he adds that some patience will be required.
"In the last number of years the sense of disappointment was clearly evident because Tipperary were not reaping the benefits from the conveyor belt of talent coming through.
"We've always produced decent minor and U20 sides. I think we're starting to get the balance right now but it takes a bit of time for them young guns to develop.
"I remember my own career. My first year on the panel was 2009 and I didn't see any game time in the championship, I was on the sideline. The way the game has gone it takes a little longer for players to step up. A lot more is asked of the body because of the demands of inter-county but Darragh McCarthy and Sam O'Farrell from the U20s have made that step up.
"Last year there was definitely green shoots, you could see it in and around the Tipp panel. We are beginning to see more and more of those shoots now.
"Look, there is a really good mix at the moment, a really good intertwining in Tipperary. It reminds me of my younger days when the older lads did not like marking me in training. Senior lads now like Noel McGrath, Mikey Breen, Ronan Maher, they can show the young guys the ropes. All credit due to James Woodlock and Brendan Cummins for keeping the pipeline going and getting the boys up to their potential."
Next up for Tipperary is an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against either Kildare or Laois, an ideal route to take going forward, according to Maher.
"It's no harm [missing the Munster final], as it will give them a bit of time to keep the head down, he remarked.
"They go into the long grass and prepare for the next round, an opportunity to regroup after Munster, which is cutthroat and it is a tough slog to get through Munster.
"It's enough time for them to come in under the radar, do what they need to do and prepare for the next game. It's a great opportunity."
