Ireland GAA All-Ireland Minor Championship Launch. This summer, Electric Ireland will use their social channels to spotlight players from across the Championships, in their ‘Parent Point of View’ series highlighting the major impact that playing Minor can have on players and their families #ThisIsMajor.
By Cian O’Connell
“It was a big chunk of my life, 16 years, at the senior level, so there has been a bit of a readjustment,” Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher reflects.
A key figure in blue and gold for a decade and a half, Maher’s sporting commitments are now concentrated on Lorrha-Dorrha, a proud club in North Tipperary. “It is like anything else, something else fills the void,” Maher says.
“I'm playing a bit of golf; I'm still hurling away with the club. I'm doing a bit of coaching and I'm busy enough with the job. I'm filling my time well enough, but you do miss it.
“It is hard to fill that gap, running out for the first round of the Championship down in Thurles or getting ready on the journey for the Liam MacCarthy, getting ready for the All-Ireland series. I'm definitely missing that side of it.”
Maher hasn’t attended a Tipperary senior fixture this year. “For myself, I haven't gone to any of the games because I still think I'm fairly engaged with emotions and nerves might get to me too much,” Maher says.
“I've been following it closely, obviously, but I haven't gone to any of the games yet anyway.”
Still passionate about the Tipperary cause, Maher is encouraged about the manner in which the emerging players in Liam Cahill’s panel are developing. “Definitely, and Tipp set out their stall early in the league,” Maher says.
“They went after it early in the year. They put in a good block of work, they kept their head down, and kept tipping away. We all know how competitive Munster is. It just goes to show, Clare and Waterford are out of the All-Ireland series.
“Tipp put in the work, they kept the head down, and did what they needed to do to squeeze through. I'm sure they're looking forward to the next couple of weeks and getting back involved in the Liam MacCarthy series.”
During the closing chapter of his own inter-county career, did Maher sense that a talented new crop was beginning to emerge. “There is no doubt, the potential has always been there,” Maher says.
Patrick Maher, Tipperary, and Patrick Collins, Cork, in Munster SHC action in 2024. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
“We're looking over the last number of years at the U20 grade, even this year with the U20 grade, the youth is definitely coming through. It takes a bit of time for them guys to develop, no more than my own career.
“My first year on the panel was 2009, I didn't even see any game time in that Championship, but I was on the sideline for each game. It takes a bit of time. The readjustment because it is U20. When we came in, we were a year more developed, and a little bit older.
“Even the way the game has gone, it is taking that little bit longer for players to step up. Obviously, you do have your players with that potential, who have stepped straight in like Darragh McCarthy and Sam O'Farrell, who're well able to step up to that plate.
“Last year there was definitely green shoots, you could see it in and around the panel that these boys had loads of potential. We're just beginning to see that come now. In the coming years we will see that more and more, which is great for Tipperary.”
Maher arrived into a Tipperary senior set-up alongside other exciting players. Something similar is happening now with Tipperary enjoying underage success once more. Still, Maher is adamant about not overburdening young hurlers. “I think that is important because it is a big step up from U20 coming into a senior inter-county set-up,” Maher says.
“Boys do need a bit of readjustment, the bodies are getting asked an awful lot because the load has gone up, the demands of an inter-county senior set-up. It does take a bit of time to adjust. I think there is a really good mix at the moment of lad that have been around like Noel. You've lads coming into a group with the likes of Noel (McGrath), Mikey Breen, and Ronan (Maher).
“There are stalwarts there, when we get those U20s in with those boys, they will show them the ropes. It will take a bit of time for them to develop, but there is huge potential in Tipperary.”
Other former colleagues have contributed to the cause. “All credit to James Woodlock and Brendan Cummins for keeping that pipeline going, getting these boys to reach their potential,” he adds.
“Hopefully we will see a good few of these boys gracing the field with a Tipperary jersey on them in the coming years.”
One thing is for certain: Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher was an inspirational figure for a lot of them.
