Donal Óg Cusack questioned whether the "fight" remained in Tipperary hurling following their galling 18-point loss to Cork on Sunday.
Tipp's failure to escape the Munster SHC was confirmed with a round of games left to play as they slumped to a second double-digit margin defeat of the 2024 campaign.
The latest heavy reversal means that the Premier men have won just one of their last 10 Munster SHC games since the round-robin format was restored following the Covid hiatus.
Cusack was encouraged by Cork's second-half performance, building on the landmark win over Limerick last weekend. However, his enthusiasm was somewhat tempered by the poor opposition in Thurles.
"I don't want to give false pats on the head to Tipperary," Cusack said.
"Tipperary were shocking. They were blown away. If it was a boxing match, the towel would have been thrown in with 25-30 minutes to go.
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"And you'd have to wonder - is the fight gone out of Tipp?
"Even their supporters. Where were all their supporters today? Tipp's a hurling county. Cork outnumbered them, it looked like 10 to 1."
The three-time All-Ireland winner argued it could look even worse for Tipperary, noting that Cork were denied a fifth goal, after Patrick Horgan poked it home, for reasons which weren't entirely clear - the corner forward being clearly outside the square.
"It is a pattern this year. The day against Limerick, Limerick won by 15 points. I would say, only the unfortunate thing that happened to Peter Casey, they would have won by 20 points.
"The referee gave a free out against Patrick Horgan today, it was actually a sympathy vote from the referee. There was nothing wrong with the goal."
Former Antrim hurler Neil McManus highlighted the generational gap that Tipp are struggling to bridge, with the decorated 2010s crop now entering the twilight of their careers, their powers steadily waning, while the younger players have thus far failed to fire.
"They're struggling for quality. The older guard came off the bench to try and save the game, Dan McCormack, John McGrath, Bonner (Maher), people who've given unbelievable service to Tipperary.
"But they're looking to the guys who are coming through and they're not performing for them. I think Tipperary need to re-think it now. They might have to go with the younger players and just give them the opportunity.
"Tipperary getting that sort of beating in Thurles is something we've seen so rarely. It was such a shock."
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