'Liam Kearns took us on a journey, his way' - Stapleton remembers late former Tipperary boss following untimely death

Shane Stapleton was asked to best describe what Liam Kearns did for Tipperary football and, while he is absolutely heartbroken, it doesn't take long for the words to pour out.

The Offaly football manager Kearns died suddenly on Sunday, leading to a host of tributes for one of the most experienced leaders in the game.

Kearns spent four swashbuckling seasons with Tipp, which ended in June 2019 following a loss to Down in the qualifiers.

When he took over in 2015, he continued the great work that had been started by previous managers like David Power at underage and Peter Creedon and John Evans at senior.

Kearns took the county on an incredible trip, the highlight of which was an All-Ireland semi-final appearance in 2016.

This was followed up with Division 3 success in 2017 and a determined push to achieve promotion to the top tier in 2018. They failed to go up by just one point, losing in a dramatic finale to Cavan in the final game of the campaign.

Derry and Galway were among the scalps Tipp took during Kearns time in charge.

"He gave us something to dream about," Stapleton said, reflecting on his time working with the late Tralee man in the Premier county.

"I look back on our time with him and while we cannot believe what has happened, I think we will all carry his standards and his methods with us for years to come," added Stapleton, who is currently a selector for the Tipp Under-20 hurlers under manager Brendan Cummins.

"There were so many great displays from the team, in All-Ireland quarter-finals, winning promotions and pushing a very good Mayo team.

"Liam's positivity was infectious. His loyalty was unreal. His standards were so high but if you worked with him, he would have the height of respect for you. He developed younger