Brendan Cummins says he will play on if wanted after helping Tipperary to All-Ireland glory on Sunday.
The 35-year-old goalkeeper finally secured a second Celtic cross, and even managed to score his first ever Championship point, as Tipp downed the previously indomitable Kilkenny by 4-17 to 1-18 in Sunday’s final to bring the Liam McCarthy Cup back to the Premier County.
The Ballybacon-Grange clubman was part of the side who lost last year’s final to the same opposition, but he says playing with the young and gifted side at manager Liam Sheedy’s disposal only adds to his love of a game, in which he has made 62 Championship appearances.
“I love the game," Cummns was quoted as saying by the Irish Examiner as he visited Crumlin Children's Hospital on Monday.
"I love playing it and I love playing with these fellas because of the energy and enthusiasm they have, the carefree spirit.
“And then Liam's leadership and Eamon O'Shea's training with Mick Ryan in the background, takes it all to a new level. I'm going to miss not training Tuesday and Thursday nights.”
The veteran also hailed his team-mates for bouncing back from their Championship opener, a Munster quarter-final that saw them shockingly vanquished by 3-15 to 0-14 by Cork. It was a black day for Tipp then back in June, but Cummins says it was one that helped build the strength that eventually saw the panel prevail and kill off Kilkenny’s dream of five-in-a-row.
He added: "We looked dead and buried in June this year. Then the qualifiers were kind to us and suddenly we won a game against Galway that we shouldn't have won. Next thing you know, you're in an All-Ireland final and you've won it. It's been amazing.
"The Cork game this year was enough for these bunch of players to never again have to worry about being lackadaisical or complacent or not performing on the day.
"There will be ups and downs, fellas won't play well and will have to come off, but to have a full 15 not performing and five coming in not performing isn't acceptable.
“To be fair, we managed our way through that crisis and it was a good lesson. A lot of the young fellas have experience. Noel McGrath is only 19 and he's already lost an All-Ireland and won one. These fellas are nearly household names and they're just out of diapers."