04-07-2025
'I'd shudder to think the mileage them boys have' The evergreen McGraths
With John McGrath reclaiming some of his best form this year and his brother, Noel, still contributing richly, Declan Laffan is better placed than anyone to run the rule over them.
Laffan, a Tipperary selector under Liam Cahill, is a Loughmore-Castleiney clubmate of the pair, who have been central in so many ways to the team's belated return to Croke Park this weekend.
To be fair to Noel, his levels have hardly dropped since he first came into the side as a teenager back in 2009, but John's best days looked to be behind him after struggles with form and fitness in recent years.
He has confounded that with a hot run of form in this campaign, however, hitting 4-12 en route to Sunday's semi-final against Kilkenny.
Laffan may know what makes him tick better than most, but he's taking no praise for the upturn in form.
'No, look, I think John deserves all the credit there to be fair to him,' he said. 'He's worked really hard.
'I think people don't really understand how serious an injury that Achilles is. We talk about cruciates and they are terrible injuries but an Achilles is a good bit worse. It just takes so long for the body to heal.
'It probably took him two years before you actually looked at him running and he wasn't limping almost, trying to mind it. I would also say he's probably gained half a yard of pace back this year too. Confidence gives you that too. He's got his chances and he's taken them. More will keep coming, please God.'
While Laffan didn't necessarily expect him to be so prolific, he does acknowledge that there were indicators that the 30-year-old was getting back to his best.
'Noel will vouch for this - he's been the standout player in the club Championship definitely last season and even a bit the previous year even though Loughmore didn't go particularly well that year with a lot of injuries. Last year he was a tour de force the whole way through for them.'
And Noel?
'There's not too many more things we can say about Noel. There's been a lot said and written about him over the years.
'Just the way he's able to contribute to a game though. Not everybody can come into the heat of battle 10 minutes into the second half and he's just able to pick it up straight away and he knows where to go. That's the experience that does that for you.
'His hurling brain, second to none.'
One of the greatest dual clubs in Ireland, Laffan has managed Loughmore in both codes simultaneously, including when they won a memorable county double in 2013, with the McGraths the lynchpins then and since.
'I'd shudder to think the mileage them boys have actually clocked up if you go back to their youth. To be fair to them though, with the exception of John's injury two or three years ago, they have been very fortunate with injuries.
'They've been dual players all their lives and at every grade they've played juvenile with their club, their county, the whole way through.
'They've been the mainstay of every team they've been on. To consistently keep doing that and not break down and how they're able to mind their bodies and recover and obviously they're doing everything right to give themselves the optimum chance to do that and that's just a credit to them.'
And, as Laffan explains, it's not the Loughmore way to encourage a player towards one code more than the other.
'Obviously I'm a Loughmore man, right. If someone wants to play, they play out and that's that. There's no telling a lad you're not playing. If you want to play, they're playing.
'Going back to a comment I made many years ago when I was over them, something about we're greedy feckers, we want to win everything. They're the very same.'
