The recently resigned Tipperary football manager David Power believes that a change of voice was one of the key factors in stepping down from his post.
By Conor Breslin
David Power admits that he was so fortunate to be involved in some of the greatest days in Tipperary football but feels it’s now time to move on.
The Kilsheelan man, who led Tipp to their first Munster SFC title in 85 years on the 100th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in 2020, has vacated his post after four years in charge.
He previously guided the Premier County to All-Ireland minor glory in 2011 and served as Under-21 manager and Wexford senior boss after that.
“Look I was very fortunate to be involved. We had great times, going all the way back to 2011 when we won the All-Ireland minor final and in 2020 when we won the Munster final,” Power said on the RTÉ GAA podcast,
“It’s very hard to say which is better, but one other highlight I really want to mention was in 2012 when we bet Kerry twice in the Munster championship and we bet Cork as well. Not many teams beat Kerry twice in the one year.
“So that was very special for me.
“In stepping down there was a lot of factors involved. This was my fourth season.
“Also, there is a number of players that I’ve probably been involved with for the past 12 or 13 years, starting at U-15 level and going right up to senior.
“So, I feel now it’s probably time for a change of voice.”
Power guided Tipp to promotion to Division 3 of the league in 2021, but things took a turn this year when his panel was decimated by injuries, retirements and players going travelling which resulted in his side’s relegation to Division 4 and their early exit from the Tailteann Cup.
“Obviously, we are going through a transition period. We only had three or four players involved in games this year that would’ve played in the Munster final in 2020.
“So, you can see we are bringing through a lot of young players and I suppose last Saturday it was important we finished on a winning note even though we knew it was probably going to be our last game.
“At the start of the year, we played Waterford and Limerick in the McGrath Cup and we had a full forward line of Conor Sweeney, Stephen O’Brien and Seán O’Connor and none of the three of them played last Saturday.
“Things before the league was looking really good but then unfortunately Conor Sweeney got injured and he was a leader we really missed in the dressing room.”
Speaking on the recent layout of the championship, Power notes the severe increase in injuries across the board due to the condensed season, while also highlighting the lack of bite in the championship due to unnecessary matches and the unneeded incentive to win provincial titles anymore.
“At this stage it’s very compact and we can see that everyone is getting injured.
“If you take the league programme, I think it’s eight matches in ten weekends including the league final. That’s a lot of matches.
“I know people in Ulster won’t want to see the Ulster championship go but with the current system with the Sam Maguire groups and the Tailteann Cup groups, bar the seeding, what’s the other incentive to win the provincial titles? I just don’t see it.
“One thing that is really sticking out for me in the Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cup groups is that it has to be the top-two teams that progress.
“You’re looking at games and no team is sticking out at the moment and looking like they’re going to win the All-Ireland, and I can see why because there are teams holding back a bit because there are still so many games to play,” Power claimed.
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