NEVER give up in sport, ever. You want evidence — just look to Tipperary’s Paul Curran, full-back for tomorrow’s All-Ireland semi-final against Waterford.

But it could have been very different for the Mullinahone star.A few years ago Curran had had enough of warming the bench while big Philly Maher was an automatic in the number three shirt. College almost over, his bags were packed, he was headed for sunnier climes for the summer. National League final of 2003, first intervention.

“It was my last year in college and I had opted out of the panel. I had planned on going to America, Boston, I had the J1 visa.

“Then Phillip got injured, I was asked to come in to do a training session, but sure they knew once I came in there was no way I was going to America. From then on really...”From then on, the Mullinahone star has been an ever-present on the Tipp 15, or at least he was, until fate again intervened last year.

First, however, there was that 2003 All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny, wrong end of a 3-18 to 0-15 point beating.“I was full-back that day, I suppose we just weren’t battle-hardened. Even in our training games we weren’t geared up to it, not compared to this year where we have 33 lads all fighting, so that when the pressure came, we weren’t able for it.”

More disappointment was to follow, including two Munster final losses to Cork, 2005 and 2006.
“It doesn’t be long going. Even if we had won either of those Munster finals though I don’t know would we have had the belief to beat Kilkenny. Cork had the set-up, Kilkenny had the set-up, but the turning point for Tipp was the 2002 All-Ireland semi-final, when we lost to Kilkenny (four points). Nicky English left, Tipp went down, but it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he had stayed on.”

Corner-back when Maher made a brief return, Paul then made the full-back slot his own, as much at home there at the beginning of last year as Phillip had been in 2003, Declan Fanning now the frustrated one on the bench; then came that next intervention, early last year.

Road to Croker

Television cameras were in Mullinahone on Wednesday last to film local footage for the programme The Road to Croker. They will return on Wednesday night next to film the programme itself in the school hall of St Michael’s N.S. Production of the programme from Mullinahone is by a film company called “Loose Horse”.

The programme will be seen on RTE on Thursday night, with a repeat the following night. Items expected to be aired on the one hour programme are previews of the Tipperary v Waterford hurling semi final and the Dublin v Tyrone football game.

It is important to note that this “Loose Horse” programme is being broadcast from Mullinahone and is not about Mullinahone. However, viewers can watch out for some local faces.

Our junior footballers played the third round of their championship recently in Marlfield. The omens for Fr. Sheehy’s looked bad from the start as they struggled to field fifteen but to their credit they rounded up enough to start.

Mullinahone had no such problems as they picked from a panel of twenty one. We were out of the blocks from the start and with Noel Leahy in commanding form in midfield there was a good supply of ball to Shane Ahern at full forward who gave a master class in how to distribute ball at full forward.

While not scoring himself he assisted at leas 3-08 or our scores. As the first half progressed all of our forwards go in on the act and with a high work rate yielded some fine scores. The first half scores came from N. Leahy 0-2, I Gahan 0-1, B Tobin 1-01, A Doheny 0-02, D Croke, 0-03, J McGrath, 2-0 to leave the half time score Mullinahone 3-09 to no score

The second half saw the introduction of subs and they continued on where others left of. Scores from j Maher 0-2, N Leahy 0-01, A Doheny 1-1, D Croke 1-0, L Needham 0-02, R Cahill 0-02 left the full time score Mullinahone 6-14, Fr Sheehy’s 0-1.

The panel used on the night gave their all and showed that competition for places is high. In the backs Sean O Meara, C O Shea, B O Sullivan, N Mullally, J Maher and mark O Brien played well as a unit.