Nature and nurture the making of Rhys Shelly
Tipperary GAA and Fiserv have launched their new jersey for the upcoming 2026 season. The front of jersey will now feature Clover – the world's smartest point-of-sale system under parent company Fiserv. Pictured at the launch in FBD Semple Stadium was Tipperary hurling goalkeeper, Rhys Shelly.
By John Harrington
Tipperary goalkeeper, Rhys Shelly, produced no shortage of special moments in this year’s All-Ireland Final.
He became the first ever goalkeeper to score from play in a final when he boomed the ball over the bar from his own ’45 late in the game.
There was also the second-half penalty save from Conor Lehane and the inch-perfect assist from a puck-out for Willie Connors’ first-half point.
But it was a moment that came after the final whistle that meant the most to him.
He spotted his mother Mary in the front row of seats in the Hogan Stand, made a bee-line in her direction, and swept her up in a big hug.
“Yeah, it was an unbelievable moment because we had a pretty tough year at home this year,” says Shelly.
“My mother actually had a stroke at the start of the year so she had a few health issues herself. Then her own mother passed away the week of the Clare game, which was also the week that I got my first start this year.
“So, look, that moment meant a lot to me, and it's definitely a moment I won't ever forget, it was such a tough year for us. But, yeah, being able to do that now, especially with the Grandmother looking down, it was definitely, definitely, definitely all worth it.”
Rhys Shelly celebrates with his mother Mary and other family members after victory over Cork in the All-Ireland SHC Final.
It was fitting that Shelly should get to share the joy of his greatest day of hurling yet with his mother because he wouldn’t be the player he is today without her.
As well as being Moycarkey-Borris club secretary she also washes the club’s jersies and has imbued all her seven children with the same passion for Gaelic games that runs through her like an electric current.
The Shelly’s back-garden backs onto the club pitch and her seven children were encouraged by Mary to spend as much time in there as possible honing their skill.
“Having such easy access to the hurling field you'd be down there nearly most days when you're not in school and I just remember my mother always having us out pucking," says Shelly.
“There used to be this show on RTE, I can't remember what it was called, it was like a little hurling challenge show, and she used to have us doing them, little hurling tennis stuff like that, all about touch and everything.
“Like, for a woman who I'm not sure ever played, she was just so invested in it and always had us out.
“Young lads up in Westmeath the other day were asking me how I got my puck so far, and I was just telling them my mother used to steep balls in water overnight when I was as a young lad and have me out pucking them the next day because it'd be so heavy. So when it comes to the (match) ball then it'd be a lot lighter.
“So, look, my mother has had huge part to play. I know it probably wasn't easy because when I kind of got to my teens I was probably struggling with disciplinary things, especially with the club, but she's always been there for me, always been my biggest supporter.
“I'm just happy now to be able to give this back to her and give her such delight. To make her proud is always the aim because I wouldn't be where I am without her today.”
Rhys Shelly celebrates after saving Conor Lehane's penalty in the All-Ireland SHC Final.
As Shelly alludes to, when he was younger he gained a reputation for being a bit hot-headed in goal, but the passing of years has matured him.
He’s still a spiky character though and doesn’t mind being vocal with opposition players if he feels like it might give his team an edge.
“The lads from the local club are used to it by now, they just laugh at it, but I suppose it takes other people a bit more time to get used to it,” he says.
“I'm not going to change my ways just because someone doesn't like me for it, so that's that really.
“People still come at me for my antics in the goal, being loud, being vocal. I don't know, people get a bit upset for telling them to watch the post and don't mishit it. I don't think it's anything offensive to be honest. I don't care. If I want to be annoying, I'll be annoying.
“I'm not abusing anyone personally, I'm just trying to get in people's heads is all, and people don't like that. But back in the day, I was probably a bit worse. I probably did tend to lash out a bit more, so now I just enjoy it and try not to let it get to me anymore.
“I've worked on that big time the last number of years, and it's always a constant thing to focus on, because I do have that name around a lot of people. It doesn't bother me really, so I just go with the flow and do my own thing. I'm not really bothered by what other people think of me.”
These days Tipperary people only think good things of Shelly because the Premier County wouldn’t have won this year’s All-Ireland Championship without him.
They became a better team from the moment he was drafted into the starting XV for Tipp’s third match in the Munster SHC against Clare.
Rhys Shelly pucks the ball out against Cork in the 2025 All-Ireland SHC Final.
He produced some top quality saves and was rock solid under the high ball in the six championship matches he played thereafter, but it was the range and accuracy of his puck-outs that really added a new dimension to Liam Cahill’s team.
“It has always been a thing I have tried to work on and as the years have gone on, with the different goalie coaches, it's all about adapting and getting better,” says Shelly. “At the start I was always trying to keep them at the same level the whole way like an arrow. You then reliase it can be about getting it over a person or getting it in between.
“You nearly are like a NFL quarter back, trying to get through a defence from the attackers side of things. I have worked on it a lot. It's something I like to pride myself on, going after those puck-outs.
"If I do mess one up I don't shy away from another one. I'd be angry and try to do it again nearly is the kind of way I'd be. It's something I've always worked on. It is one of my favourite parts of the games; the puck outs.
"There are puckouts that a forward can miss by an inch; then there are those they can get and it's turned over for a score and you can look like a fool. It is very fine margins. It is nearly an adrenaline rush and I enjoy it.
“There is nothing more satisfying that a ball going straight to the fella you want it to go to or getting it over a fella and catching a well-structured defence off guard.”
Since joining the Tipperary panel in 2023, Shelly has jockeyed for the number one jersey with Barry Hogan.
He wrested it from him during the 2023 championship, lost it to him in 2024 when he was by his own admission not as fit as he could have been, and won it back this year.
His goal for 2026 is to establish himself as Tipperary’s first-choice goalkeeper from the start of the season.
Tipperary GAA and Fiserv have launched their new jersey for the upcoming 2026 season. The front of jersey will now feature Clover – the world's smartest point-of-sale system under parent company Fiserv. At the launch in FBD Semple Stadium were senior hurlers Willie Connors and Rhys Shelly, and men’s senior footballer Mark Stokes.
When you consider the impact he made this year and the fact that Tipperary have lost only two of the 17 matches he has started in League and Championship since joining the panel, then there’s every reason to believe that Shelly can be a fixture in this Tipperary team for years to come.
But what will those years bring? The 2025 All-Ireland Final was an unexpected triumph, so can the Premier County build on it now or will it be a flash in the pan?
“I think this year getting over the mental side of things was a big thing for us,” says Shely.
“Liam has done a great job bringing in youth and mixing them in well. I am getting to that middle age, turning 25 now, and it's getting that balance right and getting everyone mixing together.
“There are a lot of good hurlers coming up underage with the U20s the last few years and it is about creating a welcoming environment and getting everyone believing they can play at that level. That's a big thing.
“Liam did it excellently last year; he gave everyone a chance. He managed it extremely well. If we can keep that confidence in the young players coming forward and keep ourselves motivated then I feel like there will be a lot of success for Tipperary in the years to come, please God.
“We don't want to go out next year now and underperform. You see how easily it can happen with teams. Especially when you're going into Munster, it's such a cauldron, anyone out of five teams can get through.
"We'll focus now, get back in, have a good league campaign, get a bit of momentum, and hopefully get on with it again. The aim is obviously to go back-to-back.
"Everyone's aim is to win the All-Ireland at the start of the year, so hopefully we get the preparation right, get the players all back and ready to go again now in the coming weeks.”
