Ronan Maher says he has changed his phone’s screensaver after two years, having accomplished his goal of becoming the ninth All-Ireland winning captain from his club.
Thurles Sarsfields have a wall of portraits dedicated to club players who have won an All-Ireland with Tipperary as captain.
After being handed the captaincy in 2024, Maher set a photo of the wall to his phone, and has finally moved on after lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup nearly three weeks ago.
“I had a blank picture beside the rest of the captains up there, and just an arrow pointing to it. I didn’t look too far ahead, but it was always a nice reminder to have on the phone,” Maher says.
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“I had to change back to the girlfriend there,” he adds, laughing. “It’ll take a while before it hits home, but I’m born and raised in Thurles, and I’ll be there [on the wall] for the rest of my life. It’ll be nice to look at down the line.”
Maher set the goal for himself when he started working with Cathal Sheridan, the former Munster rugby player and sports psychologist.
Sheridan was involved with the All-Ireland winners in both men’s codes, having also been a performance coach with Kerry this year.
“When I met him in 2024, he asked me what my visualisation was as a captain. I suppose it was to lift Liam MacCarthy, but also to have my picture up on the wall and to walk into the clubhouse with Liam MacCarthy, with all my family and friends there.”
That dream became reality after Tipperary’s triumph over Cork: “That was exactly what happened on the Monday night, the centre was packed. It’s hard to believe that it’s actually come to life now.”
His work with Sheridan is part of a process of mental preparation that he has been honing for years, which also includes journaling and watching highlights of previous performances.
“That’s the way I like to do it, put a plan together in my diary – it could be only three or four points – and watch a few clips,” says Maher.
“If you have doubts leading into a game it’s really good to look back on things that you’ve done well, and it just gives you that bit of confidence.”
This cerebral approach to the game has paid dividends for the two-time All Star, especially in this year’s final when Tipp were six points down at half-time.
The Premier County mounted an incredible comeback, with their defence nullifying Cork’s attacking threats. In a brilliant team performance, Maher was selected as man of the match.
“I’d actually felt that up until the goal before half-time, we were performing really well. I suppose our execution was off a bit and we butchered two goal chances as well, but it just felt right on the day. On the field it felt really good,” Maher says.
Despite the turnaround after the break, there was no dramatic scenes during half-time: “It was actually one of the calmest dressingrooms that we had all year. We pushed on, and who else other than John McGrath to sniff out the two goals. He’s just cute as a fox.”
It feels like a long time since Tipperary crashed out of Munster last year in Maher’s first season as captain.
Maher says people had no issue telling him, or the rest of the panel, how they had underperformed.
“If you speak to any Tipperary player that was on the panel, there’s frustration from people. They’re not really tapping you on the back, they’re asking you questions and challenging you on things,” he says.
“But that’s just the way we are in Tipperary. Tipp has always been like that, the expectations are so high. I suppose it’s a skill just to be able to take it on the chin and move on.”
With the club season about to start, there hasn’t been much time for Maher to look back on his accomplishments.
“It could be Christmas time now before it really hits home, but it’s all I’ve ever dreamed of. Maybe it won’t be until I finish up, until I look back and say that was unbelievable.”
