The 2019 season was Liam Sheedy's first year in charge since returning as manager of the Tipperary senior hurling team, having been previously in charge from 2008 to 2010.
The team were sponsored by world leading CEO advisory firm Teneo for the first year in a deal worth up to €180,000 a year on a rolling 12-month contract.
On 24 September 2018, Liam Sheedy was appointed as the new manager of the Tipperary senior hurling team on a three-year term. In October 2018, Tommy Dunne was named as the coach of the senior hurlers with Darragh Egan also added to the back-room team as goalkeeping coach. Paddy O’Brien (physio) and Cairbre O Caireallan (strength and conditioning) were also named in October as part of Sheedy’s management team.
On 3 November 2018, a Tipperary XV played a Kilkenny selection in a charity match to raise money for Amanda Stapleton, the sister of former Tipperary All-Ireland winner Paddy Stapleton, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.
On 13 November 2018, Sheedy announced a 40-man pre-season training squad which contained 12 players from the 2018 All-Ireland Under 21 Championship winning team. Training began on the weekend of 17 November.
On 22 January 2019, Séamus Callanan was named as the new captain of the Tipperary senior hurling team for 2019 with Noel McGrath named also as vice-captain.
On 20 February it was announced that former manager Eamon O'Shea would be joining the backroom team in a support role at the end of the National Hurling League.
In early May it was announced that former captain Eoin Kelly had also joined the back-room team.
2019 senior hurling management team NamePositionClubLiam SheedyManagerPortroeTommy DunneCoachToomevaraDarragh EganCoach Kildangan
2019 Tipperary Senior Hurling Management Team
Manager Liam Sheedy (Portroe) Coach-Selectors Tommy Dunne (Toomevara) Darragh Egan (Kiladangan) Additional Coaches Eamonn O’Shea (Kilruane MacDonagh’s) Goalkeeping Coach Darren Gleeson (Portroe) Strength & Conditioning Coaches Caibre Ó Caireallain (Antrim) Diarmaid Carr (Golden-Kilfeacle) Nutritionist Gary Sweeney (Dublin) Performance Analysis Damien Young (Drom & Inch) Finn Briody (Holycross-Ballycahill) Seán Flynn (Burgess) Ray Boyne (Dublin) Conor Boyne (Dublin) Darragh Boyne (Dublin) Logistics Manager Liam O’Shea (Kilruane MacDonagh’s) Kitmen Brian Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields) John Sheedy (Portroe) Doctor Brendan Murphy (Offaly) Physiotherapist Paddy O’Brien (Toomevara) Masseurs Mick Clohessy (Borris-Ileigh) Declan Maher (Borris-Ileigh) Team Liaison Officer John Smith (Thurles Sarsfields) County Board Chairman John Devane (Boherlahan-Dualla) County Board Secretary Tim Floyd (Newport) Public Relations Officer Joe Bracken (Moycarkey-Borris)
2019 squad Below was the 40 man pre-season training squad announced in November 2018.
Cathal Barrett (Holycross-Ballycahill); James Barry (Upperchurch-Drombane); Michael Breen (Ballina); Ger Browne (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams); Robert Byrne (Portroe); Paddy Cadell (JK Brackens); Jerome Cahill (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Seamus Callanan (Drom & Inch); Willie Connors (Kiladangan); Cian Darcy (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Colin English (Fr. Sheehy’s); Alan Flynn (Kiladangan); Jason Forde (Silvermines); Tom Fox (Éire Óg Annacarty-Donohill); Conor Hammersley (Clonoulty-Rossmore); Barry Heffernan (Nenagh Éire Óg); Barry Hogan (Kiladangan); Brian Hogan (Lorrha-Dorrha); Mark Kehoe (Kilsheelan-Kilcash); Seamus Kennedy (St. Mary’s Clonmel); Brendan Maher (Borris-Ileigh); Donagh Maher (Burgess); Pádraic Maher (Thurles Sarsfields); Patrick Maher ( Lorrha-Dorrha); Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields); Mark McCarthy (Toomevara); Dan McCormack (Borris-Ileigh); Brian McGrath, John McGrath, Noel McGrath (all Loughmore-Castleiney); Jamie Moloney (Drom & Inch); Jake Morris (Nenagh Éire Óg); Sean O’Brien (Newport); Joe O’Dwyer, John O’Dwyer, Killian O’Dwyer (all Killenaule); Niall O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Dillon Quirke (Clonoulty-Rossmore); Jason Ryan (Toomevara); David Sweeney (Kiladangan).
Squad as per Tipperary v Wexford, 2019 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final, 28 July 2019
The following players made their competitive senior debut in 2019.
Robert Byrne against Clare on 26 January. Mark Kehoe against Clare on 26 January. Killian O'Dwyer against Clare on 26 January. Jerome Cahill against Limerick on 30 June.
2019 Munster Senior Hurling League Tipperary took part in the Munster Senior Hurling League for the first time in 2019. They began their campaign against Limerick on 14 December 2018 at the Gaelic Grounds. Newcomers to the panel Conor Hammersley, Brendan Maher, Billy McCarthy and Michael Cahill were all unavailable with cruciate knee ligament injuries. Tipperary defeated Limerick by 4-14 to 2-17 in front of an attendance of 3,224. Limerick had started with eight of their 2018 All-Ireland winning team and Tipperary had a 3-6 to 0-11 lead at half time, with Seamus Callanan scoring from a penalty after 60-seconds.
On 5 January 2019, Tipperary played Kerry in their second game of the Munster Senior league at MacDonagh Park in Nenagh. Tipperary won the game by 4-10 to 1-14 and advanced to the final against Clare. Tipperary had a 3-14 to 0-7 lead at half-time after goals from Jason Forde, Mark Kehoe, and Noel McGrath. Patrick Maher got the fourth goal three minutes after the restart.
On 13 January 2019, Tipperary played Clare in the final in front of 4,531 at the Gaelic Grounds. Clare won the game on a 4-19 to 1-18 scoreline. Dan McCormack scored the goal for Tipperary with ten minutes to go. The match was level at 0-11 to 2-5 at half-time.
2019 National Hurling League The provisional list of fixtures for the National Hurling League were released in September 2018. Tipperary began their campaign with a home game against Clare on Saturday 26 January.
Summary On Saturday 26 January, Tipperary opened their campaign with a home game against Clare at Semple Stadium with a 7pm throw-in. The match was televised live by Eir Sport. Tipperary had three changes from the side announced with Barry Heffernan, Robert Byrne and Willie Connors coming in instead of Joe O'Dwyer, Paddy Cadell and Jason Forde. In wet and windy conditions and in front of 8,217, new captain Seamus Callanan scored 2-7 with both goals coming in the second half, he also had a penalty saved early in the first half and took a point with a second penalty in the second half. The half time score was 0-13 to 1-3 in Tipperary's favor. Clare's Tony Kelly received a straight red card in the 44th minute for a high frontal challenge on Padraic Maher. Tipperary's first goal came in the 50th minute when Jake Morris and Robert Byrne combined to arrow the ball across goal to Seamus Callanan who finished low to the net at the Killinan end. A minute later Callanan got his second after a pass from Morris he hit the ball low into the right corner of the net from the left. Padraic Maher was named as the man of the match.
A week later on Saturday 2 February, Tipperary played their second game of the league against All-Ireland Champions Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds with a 7pm throw-in. The match was televised live by Eir Sport and RTÉ2. James Barry was named in the team to start at full-back in an otherwise unchanged team from the victory over Clare. In freezing conditions and in front of 8,559, Limerick went on to win the game on a 1-21 to 1-14 scoreline. The half time score was 1-9 to 1-8 in Tipperary's favor. Tipperary's goal came in the 22nd minute when Willie Connors combined with Patrick Maher with Maher scoring with a shot into the right corner of the net from the left. Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy confirmed a few days later that Billy McCarthy, Conor Hammersley and Michael Cahill won't be available in 2019 due to injury with 14 players currently on the injury list.
On Sunday 17 February, Tipperary traveled to play Wexford in their third game of the league at the Wexford Park with a 2pm throw-in. It was the first time that they had visited there since 2004. The match was televised deferred by TG4. Manager Liam Sheedy made five changes to his starting side with goalkeeper Paul Maher making his first start of the league campaign, Seamus Kennedy coming into the half-back line and Jason Forde, Niall O’Meara, and John O’Dwyer starting in the forward line. In front of 6,700 Seamus Callanan scored a goal for Tipperary after 46 seconds with a ground-shot to the left corner from the left after a hand-pass by Niall O’Meara. Noel McGrath was sent off in the 33rd minute after picking up two yellow cards and Tipperary led by four points at half-time, 1-7 to 0-6. Tipperay were eight points in front in the second half but Wexford came back to win by one point with a point from Aidan Nolan in the third minute of injury-time. The defeat was the first to Wexford in the National League since 2005.
On Sunday 24 February, Tipperary played Kilkenny in their fourth game of the league at Semple Stadium with a 2pm throw-in. The match was televised live by TG4. Manager Liam Sheedy made two changes to his starting side with Alan Flynn and Willie Connors coming into the team. Pauric Maher was judged to have touched the ball on the ground in the third minute of injury-time and Kilkenny went on to win the game with the resulting free from 75 metres out from goalkeeper Eoin Murphy. In front of 8,273, Kilkenny had a one point lead at half-time on a 0-9 to 0-8 scoreline. Noel McGrath had scored to put Tipperary ahead in the first minute of added time before Richie Hogan got the equaliser for Kilkeeny with Murphy going on to get the winning score. With this defeat Tipperary now have only one win from the previous nine league and championship matches.
On Sunday 3 March, Tipperary were due to play Cork at Páirc Ui Rinn in their fifth game of the league but the match was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch following a pitch inspection by referee Sean Cleere at 1pm. On 4 March the Tipperary panel left for a week long training camp in Alicante, returning on 8 March. Tipperary played Cork two days after returning on 10 March at Páirc Ui Rinn with a 2pm throw-in. The match was televised live by TG4. Manager Liam Sheedy named the same starting line-up that was originally due to line out against Cork the previous weekend with Cathal Barrett, Joe O’Dwyer, Jake Morris, and John McGrath coming into the team instead of Alan Flynn, Seamus Kennedy, Patrick Maher and Willie Connors.
Tipperary won the game by 13 points on a 1-29 to 1-16 scoreline in front of 3,681. Tipperary had a 0-16 to 0-6 lead at half time. Man-of-the-match Jason Forde got the goal for Tipperary in the 40th minute when he ran onto the ball before hitting it low to the left corner of the net to put them into a 1-17 to 0-7 lead. With this win Tipperary finished in fourth place in division 1A on 4 points and qualified for the quarter-finals where they went on to play Dublin on Saturday 16 March in Semple Stadium.
In the quarter-final on 16 March, in front of a crowd of 3,503, Dublin defeated Tipperary by one point on a 1-21 to 0-23 scoreline, it was their first win against Tipperary on Tipperary soil since 1946. Tipperary are unchanged from their win over Cork the previous weekend. Brendan Maher made his comeback from the cruciate ligament injury when he came on in the second half. Dublin had a 1-10 to 0-9 lead at the interval with their goal coming in the sixth minute from Fergal Whitely. Tipperary finished with a tally of 18 wides.
Results
2019 Munster Senior Hurling Championship In mid September the schedule for the Munster Senior Hurling Championship round-robin games was released. Tipperary opened their campaign in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on 12 May against Cork.
On 2 May, manager Liam Sheedy named the following panel of players for the Munster Championship,