Tipperary's Michael Breen says backing up All-Ireland 'one of the hardest things to do'

As the action in the Allianz National Hurling League got underway in January, Tipperary were the team to beat as they came into the season as All-Ireland champions.

For Michael Breen, as a three-time All-Ireland winner, he has been through this process before.

The Premier County finished third in Division 1A, after wins over Waterford, Offaly and Galway, defeats to Cork and Limerick, and a draw with the Cats last weekend.

While Breen would like to be preparing for a league final, the next focus will be on the Munster championship, as he was happy with Tipperary's season so far.

"I think it was a worthwhile exercise because we managed to bank a lot of work throughout the league.

"Maybe we had to do that coming back a little bit later this year with the holiday and all the formalities that went on after the All-Ireland.

"We're still looking to get a lot of work done.

"We have another three or four weeks to bank work and prepare for Cork on the 19th.

"You're coming in from a different angle, but I suppose you can't compare everything to last year.

"You can't say, 'oh, we did this, we have to do this exactly the same way'.

"We just have to look for continued improvement again and go year on year and add to what we were good at last year.

"I suppose we still have to bring forward all those positives and just try to sharpen the sword a small bit more."

All eyes will be on the Munster championship soon, as Tipperary get their championship underway against Cork, in a repeat of last season's All-Ireland final.

After trailing at half-time, Tipperary were too much for Cork in the second half, as they ran out convincing winners.

With Cork now under Ben O'Connor, Breen is expecting a different challenge from their success in Croke