“You’d be disappointed not to progress, but when you don’t win one game out of four you just have to say you’ll give it a go again next year. You have to win some of those games.

“We played four weekends in a row and it’s not easy, but everyone will tell you it was a great entertaining championship. I remember sitting down watching matches on Saturday nights, Kilkenny-Wexford, Cork-Limerick in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and we’d be playing the following day.

“Every game was really a thrilling encounter, it was great viewing for supporters, a really good championship.

“Obviously, if you win your first or second game, it does take a little pressure off, at the same time you have to take games on their own merits, to give your all for that game, but you also need luck out there, too.”

Speaking at the launch of the Co-Op Superstores Munster senior hurling league, Callanan was bemused when told some bookies had installed Tipperary as second favourites for the All-Ireland title.

“I didn’t realise we were. Going on last year’s results, I wouldn’t see why we would be. We really have to start from where we’re at, back in the chasing pack. Limerick are All-Ireland champions and the likes of Galway, Kilkenny, Cork, Waterford, Clare they’re all ahead of us.

“You really have to start where you are and work as hard as you can, and see where that takes you.

“I think last year’s championship showed that a lot of teams would fancy their chances of being competitive, of beating any team on any given day. The championship is as strong as it ever was and every match is there to be won.

Every team fancies their chances.

Tipperary have a new manager for 2019, of course, in Liam Sheedy, the man who steered them to the 2010 All-Ireland title. He’ll be dealing with players keen to get back in action after a disappointing 2018.

“I was involved with Liam in 2008, 2009, 2010, and he’s a great man to have back there, but we’re all back to the start now to see what we can do,” said Callanan. “We probably had a longer break than we would have liked; we went out of the championship early, but you’d be raring then to get going again. The club championship went on for a while as well, but that’s over now and you’ve had your break, you’re anxious to get back to build in 2019.

“We saw the standard of hurling this summer, a lot of teams were playing fabulous hurling, there were a lot of great games. It was tough and we didn’t prevail, so our year was cut short.

“It’s a results-driven business and we didn’t get through, so we have to use that to drive us next year.”

The first step is tomorrow evening’s Munster League clash with Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds, where we can expect to see some of Tipp’s All-Ireland-winning U21s.

“It’s great to get games. We’re gone so long that any opportunity to have games and to get back on the road, we’re mad to take them. “We’re playing tomorrow against the All-Ireland champions, so it’s great to have a game like that so early in the year.

“The U21s had a great win in the All-Ireland last year, so they’re well entitled to have their shot as well. You’d be looking forward to seeing what they have to bring, they’ll bring energy and freshness to it, so it all bodes well.”

When Callanan and his peers broke onto the Tipp senior team, it was also on the back of underage success, but the Drom and Inch man doesn’t see that guaranteeing senior silverware next season. They did reach the league final in 2018, however, which is a base to build from.

“I wouldn’t think so. Because we won an U21 All-Ireland this year, doesn’t mean we’re entitled to win anything next year. You have to build it brick by brick and bring some of those guys through and their youth and enthusiasm will rub off.

“Kilkenny kind of blitzed us in the second half of the league final, but the league has always been good to us in terms of experimenting with players, and you’d hope to learn about lads in the Munster league as well.

“It’ll be an opportunity for everyone.”