Eamon O’Shea has confirmed that he is staying on as manager of the Tipperary senior hurling team for the 2015 season.
O’Shea will take charge of the Premier County for a third successive year, looking to go one better than last month when Tipp lost the All-Ireland final replay to Kilkenny.
And O’Shea admitted that the prospect of attending to some unfinished business was one of the key factors in his decision to commit again.
He told Tipp FM: “We’re not there yet, in terms of where we want to be and I think that’s a challenge.
“I’d be optimistic but realistic as well.
“There’s an awful lot of work to be done and we have to get down to that work as soon as we can. And that’s what we’ll be doing.
“It’s really about how hard you work to get to where you want to be.”
O'Shea, who dropped a broad hint that Brendan Maher will captain the team again next year, admitted that it "took a while" to reach an agreement with county board chiefs before he opted to complete the second half of a two-year term.
O’Shea was coach of the 2010 All-Ireland winning team but his debut season as manager was in 2013, when Tipp lost against Kilkenny in a gripping Nowlan Park All-Ireland qualifier.
The Kilruane MacDonaghs man then sought a two-year extension but following the Kilkenny defeat last month, it was feared that O’Shea would step aside due to work and family commitments.
But he said: “The good thing about the team, the squad and the players we have, young and old, is that they work hard to be better players.
“That’s the key for me, that I have that belief that these fellas will work really hard to get better.
“Whether that’s one or two per cent, as long as I have that belief that the players will work hard . . . we’ve got an outstanding captain in Brendan Maher and these players will seek that improvement themselves.
“It doesn’t really matter that much about me – it’s about how much they’re prepared to do for themselves.”
O’Shea revealed his thoughts on his decision, saying: “It took a while but it’s been a long year.
“I just wanted to take my time to make sure that I have the energy to give it a go and figure out a way to do it for myself.
“I’m delighted to be back, to be honest.”
O’Shea added: “You don’t enter into this decision lightly.
“The great thing is that I have huge belief in the team.
“That’s the big thing for me – I believe in the lads, the Tipp squad but also in Tipperary hurling in terms of what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to achieve.
“So it was the whole thing about Tipperary hurling really that influenced me to be honest, trying to be supportive of the whole structure really.
“That was key. We got huge support from the public, it was really gratifying to see the Tipp supporters getting behind the team.
“I think that can only be positive not only for next year but going forward because I do think that belief in Tipperary hurling is really essential from within the county as well.”
