Ther’s a renewed sense of optimism surrounding Tipperary hurling. The U20 team recently secured victory over Kilkenny in the All-Ireland Under-20 final,mirroring a similar triumph at the minor level the previous year. Meanwhile, Liam Cahill’s senior team has advanced to the All-Ireland series, narrowly missing out on a spot in the munster final.

After experiencing some difficult seasons, Tipperary supporters are now energized as the team aims to navigate the challenges ahead in their pursuit of the ultimate prize. A prominent figure who understands what it takes to succeed is Patrick Maher, widely known as ‘Bonner’.

Maher dedicated 16 seasons to Tipperary at the senior level,amassing three All-Ireland titles and two All-Star awards. Last autumn, he concluded his inter-county career. Although he hasn’t attended any Tipperary matches this year, Maher remains invested in the team’s progress, as he shared during 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.”

Maher is adjusting to life after inter-county hurling. “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.”

the Lorrha-Dorrha clubman affirmed that he has no regrets about retiring 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 believes Tipperary has significant potential, especially with the emergence of talented U20 players. He hopes that integrating these young players will lead to sustained success for the county, while acknowledging that patience will be necessary. “In the last number of years the sense of disappointment was clearly evident as 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,” Maher stated. He added, “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.”

Maher sees positive signs within the Tipperary panel. “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.”

He also highlighted the importance of experienced players guiding the younger generation.”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.”

Tipperary’s next challenge is an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against either Kildare or Laois, which Maher views as a favorable path forward. “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.”

He concluded, “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.”