Liam Sheedy warned that defeat to Cork next week will leave Tipperary in a "seriously bad place", and said Michael Ryan's call to give five men their championship debuts backfired in a Gaelic Grounds pressure cooker.
Brian Hogan, Alan Flynn, Barry Heffernan, Willie Connors and Billy McCarthy all started, with the likes of Seamus Callanan, Patrick 'Bonner' Maher and Brendan Maher held back on the bench for the Munster SHC round-robin clash against Limerick.
The Treaty powered to a deserved 1-23 to 2-14 success, and such is the intensity of the province and relentless nature of the new format, the Premier already look on the ropes.
"It was a big ask, to ask five guys to go in and make their debuts in the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick," Sheedy said on The Sunday Game.
"It's a tough place to go.
"Limerick were always going to outnumber Tipp in there. I thought five (debutants) was maybe a step too far when you had the likes of Brendan Maher, Bonner Maher, Seamus Callanan and so much artillery on the sidelines.
"I just thought it was a bridge too far for some of those young guys going in.
"None of us are inside watching training or what's going on. You can only assume that these guys that got the jersey today were putting their hand up in training.
But when you look at it in the cold light of day... did it drain some confidence out of the team on that back of what was announced? Look, if you win everything is rosy in the garden because he's all these guys coming back and you do have four matches in a week.
"Ultimately it backfired for Tipperary."
Now they face into a showdown with the Rebels in Thurles that could define their summer.
John Meyler's men overcame Clare and will be depserate to continue that momentum. For Tipp, it's a must-win showdown.
"Next weekend is huge for Tipperary," Meyler added.
"Cork are coming to Thurles and John Meyler and his troops know that they turned them over there last year If they turned them over this time around it's going to leave Tipp in a seriously bad place."
