Tipperary 0-21
Waterford 0-16
Fintan O’Toole reports from Semple Stadium, Thurles
TIPPERARY PICKED UP their first piece of championship silverware since manager Eamonn O’Shea took over in a tight and tense Munster final battle against Waterford today.
The home fans in the 43,084 present in Semple Stadium saw their team grind out a merited success with a strong closing phase to the game.
Waterford were still very much in contention after Maurice Shanahan arrowed over a 57th minute point to leave them 0-15 to 0-13 adrift.
However Tipperary put daylight between the sides when they oustcored Waterford by 0-6 to 0-3 in the closing stages with John O’Dwyer demonstrating his class while substitutes Lar Corbett and Shane Bourke also got in on the scoring act.
It was Tipperary’s 41st Munster senior hurling crown and their 3rd in five seasons at the expense of Waterford in a final. But after the pain of recent championship losses, this was a triumph for Eamonn O’Shea and his players to savour.
In a tight and tense contest, they started best to manufacture a 0-7 to 0-3 lead by the 18th minute. Waterford struggled to adapt to the contest but similar to their semi-final win over Cork, they grew into the game before the break.
They struck six out of the seven points that occurred in the game between the 21st and 32nd minutes. It was their most productive spell of the game with Tadhg De Búrca, Kevin Moran and Maurice Shanahan all excelling.
Tipperary wrestled back control before the interval to move 0-10 to 0-9 ahead at the midway mark but Waterford had plenty to be satisfied about.
Waterford continued to compete strongly in the early second-half exchanges with a Shanahan converted ’65 in the 49th minute leaving them only 0-13 to 0-12 adrift. But a series of wides into the Killinan End cost them dearly as they could not move into a winning position.
Tipperary grew in strength with Cathal Barrett, James Barry and Padraic Maher becoming dominant characters. O’Dwyer finally broke free of the shackles of the Waterford rearguard and the Premier support were enthused by their side’s late passages of play as they claimed a five-point success.
Now it’s an All-Ireland semi-final meeting on 16 August for Tipperary against Cork or Galway while Waterford must prepare for an All-Ireland quarter-final with Dublin on 26 July.
Scorers for Tipperary: Seamus Callanan 0-6 (0-4f, 0-2 ’65), John O’Dwyer 0-5 (0-2f), Niall O’Meara 0-3, Jason Forde, Patrick Maher 0-2 each, Lar Corbett, Michael Breen Shane Bourke 0-1 each.
Scorers for Waterford: Maurice Shanahan 0-8 (0-3f, 0-2 ’65), Austin Gleeson (0-1f), Shane Fives, Kevin Moran 0-2 each, Patrick Curran, Colin Dunford 0-1 each.
Tipperary
1. Darren Gleeson (Portroe)
2. Cathal Barrett (Holycross-Ballycahill)
3. James Barry (Upperchurch Drombane)
4. Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields)
5. Michael Breen (Ballina)
6. Pádraic Maher (Thurles Sarsfields)
7. Kieran Bergin (Killenaule)
8. James Woodlock (Drom & Inch)
9. Shane McGrath (Ballinahinch)
10. Jason Forde (Silvermines)
11. Brendan Maher (Borrisoleigh)
12. Patrick Maher (Lorrha/Dorrha)
13. John O’Dwyer (Killenaule)
14. Seamus Callanan (Drom & Inch)
15. Niall O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs)
Subs
19. Lar Corbett (Thurles Sarsfields) for Breen (half-time)
17. Shane Bourke (JK Brackens) for Forde (65)
22. Conor O’Brien (Éire Óg Annacarty) for McGrath (70)
Waterford
1. Stephen O’Keeffe (Ballygunner)
2. Shane Fives (Tourin)
3. Barry Coughlan (Ballygunner)
4. Noel Connors (Passage)
5. Tadhg de Búrca (Clashmore/Kinsalebeg)
6. Austin Gleeson (Mount Sion)
7. Philip Mahony (Ballygunner)
8. Jamie Barron (Fourmilewater)
20. Eddie Barrett (De La Salle)
14. Michael Walsh (Stradbally)
15. Colin Dunford (Colligan)
10. Kevin Moran (De La Salle)
11. Stephen Bennett (Ballysaggart)
21. Maurice Shanahan (Lismore)
12. Jake Dillon (De La Salle)
Subs
22. Shane Bennett (Ballysaggart) for Barrett (43)
9. Tom Devine (Modeligo) for Stephen Bennett (43)
25. Patrick Curran (Dungarvan) for Dunford (62)
17. Darragh Fives (Tourin) for Dillon (67)
Referee: James Owens (Wexford)
Genuinely not having a go, but why not just stay off it, away from it and completely avoid social media. People will always oppose strong opinions and equally strong opposition to those opinions.
@blindside: I think its because he is trying to stay relevant.
@blindside: even if he didn’t have a profile online the abuse would still be there. Obviously he didn’t help himself last week, but every November he gets more than anyone’s share of abuse
@Adrian Carroll: Wrong. Players these days are isolated and they need it. Mich like us now.
@Louis Jacob: *much
@Adrian Carroll: clown
I’m sure he gets fairly bad insults from social media and during matches but certainly don’t help himself wearing balaclavas putting it up on social media either
The abuse he gets from his fellow countrymen is nearly every bit as bad as bad as what he gets across the water. The fella is the first one to put his hand in his pocket whenever there is fundraising for anything, he can never be found wanting for effort each and every time he pulls on a green jersey. While he may have made a mistake last week it in no way justifies the abuse he gets.
@Mel Roberts: my god for once I agree with u
@Mel Roberts: It was a badly misjudged joke on his part. Naive and Stupid. But there’s no doubt he receives way worse online than his joke last week.
Priceless asking McClean to take a cut Even though he’s donated a lot of money in the last month not to mention other causes in the last few years.McCleans not on the same money as the lads at the very top,he won’t be getting that money when he retires and what he does earn now will be taxed heavily.Yes he can live comfortably now but he’s not obliged to take a cut,he’s doing his bit in this crisis.
Let’s be honest here the abuse is vile and wrong but he puts out stuff like last week that brings it on ,I’m not justifying what the trolls have said to him but he should know by now what will be said to him , I have a serious problem with his ability on the pitch and he makes me angry but I dont wish harm on him , ya he gives it 100% every time he plays in green but that’s just him running about like a headless chicken , unfortunately he will still make the squad at the moment but let’s call a spade a spade here , he has in no way lived up to the hype from the start of his career and now never will
If the stories of his donations in the past few weeks are true then fair play to him he is doing more than the owners of alot of clubs and should be commended
OMG , when you are in a massive hole, ffs stop digging.
He is a media gift that just keeps giving.
Has he shit for brains or what. Has he no advisors or does he just not listen to friends or family.
Just play football and shut up trying to justify your stupid actions of posting yourself in a balaclava .
rich people try to buy their way into our hearts with their donations or cover their badness,in any case it should be done and it’s tax efficient for him.
Now he is using reverse psychology that he is the victim and totally innocent.
I suppose through time he will lead us to the ‘ it has effected my family and they are receiving treatment as a result ‘ bit to buy him some sympathy or his sister will LEAK what a good boy he is putting someone up for Christmas .
Don’t make me laugh
Your going to reap just what your sow!
Sticks and stones