JAKE MORRIS wants to Make Tipperary Great Again after supporters voted with their feet during a dismal 2024 Championship campaign.
Tipp territory turned red last summer as Cork enjoyed a landslide 4-30 to 1-21 victory that ended the hosts’ chances of advancing to the All-Ireland series.
Premier fans were in the minority again in Thurles when their side lost 1-24 to 0-24 Clare a week later.
Asked if the dwindling home support filtered through to the players, Tipp forward Morris admitted: “I’d be probably lying if I said it didn’t.
“Especially the Cork game, because we were still in the Championship that day. We had a good chance of going though. It was a sea of red everywhere.
“I’m very aware of it. I’m aware of the commitment and the cost of these things.
“If the connection isn’t there between the team and the supporters, it’s hard to ask people to stay going four weeks in a row and put their hand in their pocket to support you.
“We were definitely aware of it last year and we’re doing our best to try and improve it now. I think it has come along greatly.”
After their season began with an impressive win over Galway in January, boss Liam Cahill called on the people of Tipperary to ‘be brave’ by getting behind their team.
And with an Allianz League final against Cork to look forward to this weekend, Tipp fans have been getting value for money in 2025.
Morris said: “We’re fully aware that the cost of going to support teams is massive, especially if you’re bringing a family.
“If we’re not giving them something to look at or something to support, then we have to expect what we got in the last few years.
“To be fair, week on week the connection with the Tipperary fans has been getting better and better.
“We’re very grateful for their support and I’m sure that they’ll come in big numbers down to Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday.”
On the back of a failure to win any of their four Munster SHC games last season, Morris and his team-mates shipped heavy criticism.
But the 2019 All-Ireland winner revealed: “To be fair, the management team have been great.
“They helped us in that regard. It wasn’t all on the players. They took on some of the flak. They’ve been great as well.
“We had a long couple of months to think about things and mull things over.
“It wasn’t acceptable for Tipperary’s great history of hurling. We’ve had some great men go before you in that jersey and we didn’t represent it the way we should have.
“That doesn’t mean you have to win All-Ireland titles every year. It’s the way you go out with your effort and application.
“That wasn’t there so hopefully we never get branded with some of those things again.”
HURLING MAD
Having finished top of Division 1A, the Tipp players have lifted the mood in the hurling-mad county as they bid to land a first league title since 2008.
Morris added: “When you get up on Monday morning, you’ve to go to work and talk to people.
“There’s no hiding away from it. You’re down in your leisure centre or in the gym and you’re meeting hurling people.
“Hurling is the religion in Tipperary. There’s no getting away from it and no hiding from it. We’re very much in the trenches and you have to deal with it head on.
“I suppose we didn’t mind. We were very honest about our assessment of ourselves last year.
“It wasn’t good enough and we’re fully aware of that.
“It was a tough couple of months because you’re dealing with it and you can’t do anything about it until you get back on the training field.
“The minute we did start back, we were probably at ease that we have the chance to make this better.
“We’re nowhere near the finished article. We’re just trying to improve week on week and get better.
“I don’t know where that will take us but we’ll have a right cut off it anyway.”
