It's 12 days until the Tipp footballers step onto the Croke Park pitch for the county's first All-Ireland Football Championship semi-final appearance since 1935.
One would presume the county is pulling together in an attempt to optimise the conditions to beat Mayo - you would be wrong.
According to Jackie Cahill, writing for The42.ie, four clubs involved in the Tipperary Intermediate Hurling Championship have been thrown out of the competition. This is due to their refusal to play without players involved with the Tipperary footballers.
The four clubs in question are Rockwell Rovers, Golden-Kilfeacle, Arravale Rovers and Lattin-Cullen Gaels. Between them, they have eight players involved with the county panel.
The games were scheduled for last weekend but the players collectively decided they would not line out for their clubs, instead prioritising a huge game for their county.
Given the importance of the game - it is an opportunity to reach an All-Ireland final, a feat even the most optimistic of Tipperary supporters could not have envisioned at the start of the Championship - you would have thought concessions would be made by decision makers. That is not the case. Instead, the players involved will have this headache to deal with as they prepare to face Mayo.
Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
