Tipperary manager Andy Shortall tells Keith Duggan why he is ready for the task.

The "shock" is what sets the All-Ireland championship apart. Limerick's great raid down in Cork, on the same afternoon Monaghan downed All-Ireland champions Armagh, imposed upon last year's football extravaganza a mood of unpredictability that never really let up until the final whistle in September.

That a Tipperary defeat of Limerick in Cork tomorrow would fall under the "shock" category says more about the rise of the latter than the state of the former. Limerick are explicitly - justifiably - seeking a Munster title, while Tipperary's ambitions are more circumspect.

"This is a game that certainly focuses the mind," says Tipperary manager Andy Shortall, preparing for his first managerial summer at the big dance.

"The recognition they have received has been fair. Limerick looked very comfortable playing Division One football and they might have won a Munster championship last year. They have made considerable gains."

And yet Tipperary might have overturned Cork in the Munster final of 2002 and last year won hearts in the All-Ireland qualifying game in Croke Park against Donegal, a game in which Declan Browne advertised his thoroughbred status.

When Tom McGlinchey stepped down after that eight-point defeat, Shortall decided he wanted a shot at the post.

His six years of Sigerson Cup experience at UCD gave him a solid grounding in the demands of the game and he previously served as a selector in his native Offaly.

"I knew from my years in UCD there were footballers in Tipperary. In my experience, there have always been good football players in the county. And I wanted to try my hand at senior management, I felt the time was right.

"Obviously, I went in there not fully sure of what I would find but after the first few sessions, I was completely taken with the attitude of this group of players and felt I had made the right decision."

Shortall calls it as he sees it. Discussing his playing career with Laois, he recalls, "I wouldn't exactly have been a star attraction or anything like that. I would have been one of these fellas that played with the county for a few years and then faded away and was forgotten about. Let's just say I played and leave it at that."

Surely he is being a bit hard on himself?

"No. I'm not. Honestly."

Conversely, he claims he felt no pressure as he approached his first competitive games as a senior manager, feeling certain he was qualified and experienced enough to meet the demands.

Although Tipperary narrowly missed out on promotion, they enjoyed a very respectable league season, capping it with a 3-13 to 1-14 win over Derry.

That win probably earned the team its loudest plaudits, but it was an earlier victory in the north, against Antrim, that Shortall derived most satisfaction from.

"We went up there that afternoon short a number of regular players - including Declan Browne - and there were a few guys starting for the first time. What was pleasing was that for a long period we were up against it, but there was a real, quiet determination there and we hit 1-5 in the last few minutes to win. It was a really positive moment in the development of this team."

And it was significant it was achieved in the absence of Browne. Since his debut season in 1996, Browne had been the great hope of Tipperary football and, although his displays have been recognised with two All-Star awards, the overall story for Tipperary has been close, but no cigar.

Although the Moyle Rovers player is heavily imbued with a team ethic, his individual play is so sparkling and beyond containment the emphasis inevitably tilts towards his exploits.

Liam Kearins this week declared that when defending against Browne, it is a question of damage limitation. Shortall says working with Browne has been a pleasure and agrees he possesses something out of the ordinary.

"I feel he must be among or he may be the best natural finisher in the country. He has that ability to make it look as if he has more time on the ball than seems possible. And his devotion to Tipperary football is selfless. Because of that, the respect that the other players have for him is very strong."

As a consequence, Shortall has been able to manage Browne as he would any other member of the team.

"It is great that Tipperary football has this special talent. But he fits into a team and he shares the same ambition as the others. For now, that means trying to get a result against Limerick."