James Woodlock

{{Infobox Gaelic games player

| code= Hurling

| sport = Hurling

| image =

| name = James Woodlock

| irish = Séamus Uadlóg

| fullname = James Woodlock

| feet = 5

| inches = 10

| nickname =

| occupation = Garda

| county = Tipperary

| province = Munster

| club = Drom & Inch

| clposition = Midfield

| clubs =

| clyears =

| clapps(points) =

| clcounty = 1

| clprovince=

| clallireland =

| counties = Tipperary

| icposition = Midfield

| icyears = 2006-2015

| icapps(points) = 26 (0-15)

| icprovince = 3

| icallireland = 0

| nhl = 1

| allstars = 0

| clupdate =

| icupdate = 23:08, 17 November 2015

| birth_date={{Birth date and age|1986|3|24|df=yes}}

| birth_place=Drom, County Tipperary, Ireland

}}

James Woodlock (born 24 March 1986) is an Irish hurler and coach who plays for Drom & Inch and is a former member of the Tipperary inter-county team.{{cite news|url=http://tipperary.gaa.ie/senior-hurling-player-profiles |title=Senior Hurling Panel |publisher=Tipperary GAA website |access-date=31 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817172323/http://tipperary.gaa.ie/senior-hurling-player-profiles |archive-date=17 August 2012 }} He primarily plays as a midfielder.

Born in Drom, County Tipperary, Woodlock was first introduced to hurling in his youth. He came to prominence at colleges level St. Joseph's College while later enjoying championship successes at underage level with the Drom-Inch club. A one-time championship medallist with the Drom-Inch senior team, Woodlock has also won numerous divisional medals.

Woodlock made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Tipperary minor team. After enjoying Munster success in this grade, he was later an All-Ireland runner-up with the under-21 team. Woodlock joined the senior team during the 2006 league. He went on to play a key role for Tipperary during a successful era, and won three Munster medals and one National Hurling League medal. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on three occasions.

As a member of the Munster inter-provincial team on a number of occasions, Woodlock never won a Railway Cup medal.

Throughout his career Woodlock made 26 championship appearances. He announced his retirement from inter-county hurling on 14 November 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/james-woodlock-is-latest-tipperary-hurling-retirement-1.2430648|title=James Woodlock is latest Tipperary hurling retirement|publisher=Irish Times|date=14 November 2015|access-date=17 November 2015|first=Eamon|last=Donoghue}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2015/1114/741910-james-woodlock-calls-time-on-tipp/|title=James Woodlock calls time on Tipperary hurling|publisher=RTÉ Sport|date=14 November 2015|access-date=17 November 2015}}

Playing career

=Club=

In 2011 Woodlock was a key member of the club's senior team as Drom & Inch reached the championship decider. Clonoulty–Rossmore provided the opposition on that occasion, however, Drom & Inch claimed their first county club championship following a 1–19 to 2–14 victory.{{cite web|url=http://hoganstand.com/Tipperary/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=156603|title=Fourth time lucky for Drom & Inch|publisher=Hogan Stand|date=17 October 2011|access-date=31 October 2012}}

=Inter-county=

Woodlock first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Tipperary minor hurling team in 2003. He collected a Munster winners' medal that year following a 2–12 to 0–16 defeat of Cork.{{cite web|url=http://munster.gaa.ie/history/mh_teams/|title=Munster Minor Hurling Final Winning Teams|publisher=Munster GAA|access-date=6 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014214016/http://munster.gaa.ie/history/mh_teams/|archive-date=14 October 2018|url-status=dead}} Woodlock's side, however, were later defeated by Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

Three years later in 2006 Woodlock was a key fixture on the Tipperary under-21 hurling team. He secured a Munster winners' medal in that grade following a 3–11 to 0–13 defeat of Cork. Tipp later qualified for the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. After a thrilling 2-14 apiece draw, both sides met for a replay which Kilkenny narrowly won by 1–11 to 0–11.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article641533.ece|title=Tipp shut out as Kilkenny power home|publisher=Irish Times|date=17 September 2006|access-date=17 September 2008}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

Woodlock made his senior competitive debut for Tipperary in a National Hurling League game against Limerick in 2006.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

By 2007 Woodlock became a regular member of the Tipperary starting fifteen. He made his championship debut against Limerick in the provincial series, however, it was a largely disappointing campaign for Tipp.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

In 2008 Tipperary remained undefeated in the National League before meeting Galway in the final. In an exciting game Tipp emerged victorious by 3–18 to 3-16 and Woodlock collected his first National League winners' medal.{{cite web|url=http://www.hoganstand.com/Tipperary/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=93373|title=Tipp win Division One crown|publisher=Hogan Stand website|date=20 April 2008|access-date=22 December 2008}} Tipperary later reached the Munster final where they defeated a resurgent Clare team by 2–21 to 0–19.{{cite web|url=http://www.hoganstand.com/Tipperary/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=98092|title=Munster SHC final: Tipp end seven-year wait|publisher=Hogan Stand website|date=13 July 2008|access-date=31 October 2012}} It was Woodlock's first Munster winners' medal. Tipperary were subsequently defeated in a tense All-Ireland semi-final by Waterford on a scoreline of 1–20 to 1–18.{{cite web|url=http://www.hoganstand.com/Tipperary/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=99739|title=Waterford shock Tipp to book final spot|publisher=Hogan Stand website|date=17 August 2008|access-date=31 October 2012}}

Woodlock won his second Munster medal in 2009 as Tipp defeated Waterford by 4–14 to 2–16.{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2009/0712/tipperary_waterford.html |title=RTÉ Sport: Tipperary 4-14 Waterford 2-16 |publisher=RTÉ Sport |date=12 July 2009 |access-date=29 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815045815/http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2009/0712/tipperary_waterford.html |archive-date= 15 August 2009 }} After a six-week lay-off and a facile semi-final win over Limerick, Tipp qualified for an All-Ireland final meeting with Kilkenny. For much of the match it looked as if Tipp would pull off a shock and deny 'the Cats' a record-equaling four-in-a-row. Two quick goals in the space of a minute, one from a penalty by Henry Shefflin, sealed a 2–22 to 0–23 victory and defeat for Tipperary.{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2009/0906/matchtracker.html |title=RTÉ Sport: Kilkenny 2-22 Tipperary 0-23 |publisher=RTÉ Sport |date=6 September 2009 |access-date=7 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090909021839/http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2009/0906/matchtracker.html |archive-date= 9 September 2009 }} O'Mahony later collected a second All-Star award. Woodlock was later nominated for an All-Star award.{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2009/0923/allstar.html |title=Hurling All Star nominations revealed |date=23 September 2009 |work=RTÉ Sport |access-date=7 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927071940/http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2009/0923/allstar.html |archive-date=27 September 2009 }}

In October 2009 Woodlock broke his right leg in four places after an accidental collision with inter-county team-mate Pádraic Maher in the Tipperary county final. This injury kept him out of hurling action for ten months.{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/mixed-emotions-for-woodlock-2327326.html|title=Mixed emotions for Woodlock|date=7 September 2010|work=Irish Independent|access-date=14 March 2011}}

Woodlock returned to championship hurling in 2011 when he came on as a substitute in Tipperary's two opening championship games.

In spite of an indifferent National League campaign, Tipperary were regarded as potential All-Ireland champions once again. Woodlock missed out on Tipperary's Munster championship success over Waterford.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0716/1224320206161.html|title=Clinical Tipperary complete first task|publisher=Irish Times|access-date=30 October 2012|date=16 July 2012|first=Malachy|last=Clerkin}}

Coaching

In February 2021, Woodlock was named as the new manager of the Tipperary minor hurling team on a three-year term.{{cite web|url= https://www.the42.ie/james-woodlock-and-paddy-christie-appointed-to-tipp-underage-management-roles-5344688-Feb2021/|title=Tipp underage managerial appointments for James Woodlock and Paddy Christie|date=4 February 2021|work=The 42|accessdate=4 February 2021}}{{cite web|url= https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2021/0203/1194931-woodlock-takes-over-as-manager-of-tipp-minors/|title=Woodlock takes over as manager of Tipp minors|date=4 February 2021|work=RTE Sport|accessdate=4 February 2021}}