As the 2023 county hurling championships reach a conclusion, attention begins to switch towards players that might make an impact with Tipperary.
Following Tipp’s All-Ireland quarter-final loss to Galway, manager Liam Cahill said he would be rigorously going through the club championship to try freshen the panel up.
Players such as Billy Seymour, Ed Connolly, Darragh McCarthy and Darragh Stakelum are among some of the younger players who have had fine championships to date.
Speaking on Extra-Time, Tipp senior camogie manager and hurling analyst Denis Kelly says Darragh Stakelum is one of a number of Sarsfields players in contention.
“I think Darragh will have to come in anyway, he’s one of the players of the championship.
“Whether he’d be used next year or not, it’s a building process.
“Looking at Thurles Sarsfields back-line, I know Paul Maher is not a young lad anymore but he’s still in his 20s there and he’s after marking Jake Morris in one of the games, he’s after marking Noel McGrath, he’s after marking all the big guns there since he came back in corner back.
“He might be a wildcard but he’s definitely one that has really impressed me.
“James Armstrong did a great job on Noel (McGrath) the other night as well so there’s a few lads like that knocking around.”
Denis Kelly also noted the performances this year of Toomevara’s 18-year-old Darragh McCarthy, who scored 2-35 in the county championship:
“Darragh McCarthy for Toome, he’s still under 20 so I presume he’ll be left to the U20s.
“He’s only gone 18 a few weeks ago and he’s really grown in to himself and he’s been really the top man for Toome there and without him they probably wouldn’t have been in the position they were in in a county semi-final so that’s credit to him.
“You’d have to admire these young lads, size-wise he’s smaller than your average county player but you wouldn’t write-off a lad just because of his size.”
