With the National Hurling League set to start next month, one Tipperary star in already looking beyond the campaign to the summer championship.
James Woodlock is currently out of action with a broken right leg that won’t be healed until March at the earliest and only then can the battle for full fitness begin for the Premier midfielder.
But the Drom-Inch man is not ruling himself out of the 2010 summer campaign as Tipperary look to go one better than last year, when they were beaten by Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final.
Speaking in Monday’s Irish Independent, Woodlock said: ‘When the bone is healed, I'm depending on (physio) John Casey. He's outstanding; he's been over a few times and has already given me small exercises, but I can't stop the leg from wasting because I'm not putting any pressure on it.
‘He's there all the time, (trainer) Cian O'Neill the same.
‘Caroline Currid, our sports psychologist, is always in contact along with Liam Sheedy, Eamon O'Shea and Mick Ryan (team management).
‘Anything I need, I'm going to get but I can't rush this thing. I'm just looking forward to going back walking and I think I'm strong-minded enough to drive on from there.’
He added: ‘I'll be hoping to go on the training camp abroad with Tipperary in April; perhaps able to do some light work or something.
‘Maybe that's ambitious. It's up to John Casey. Whatever he says, I'll go with. He'll put me through my paces once I go back and he said he'll work as hard as he can. After that, I don't know; I just want my leg to come back perfect first. I'll worry about hurling after that.’
