Tipperary 3-27
Westmeath 0-16
Daragh Small reports from Semple Stadium
JASON FORDE SCORED 0-14 as reigning All-Ireland champions Tipperary stayed in the hunt for the knockout stages of the hurling league today with victory over a Westmeath team that finished with 14 men.
This Division 1 Group A game was refixed from Nenagh to Semple Stadium in Thurles, and the hosts coped better in the wide expanses.
Tipperary didn’t have to go through the gears in the first half and they still held a comfortable, 2-14 to 0-7, advantage at the interval. Cian Darcy and Jake Morris were the goal-scorers.
Westmeath had Killian Doyle sent-off shortly after half-time and Tipperary went through motions from thereon with Séamus Callanan scoring a late goal. But this wasn’t a great preparation for tougher tests to come.
Killian Doyle was a late inclusion in the Westmeath starting 15 and he scored a couple of points to keep them alive in the game early on. Jason Forde popped over two frees in the opening four minutes but Westmeath were level when Derek McNicholas scored a fine effort down the left wing.
Mark Kehoe and Doyle exchanged points but then Tipperary flexed their muscles and there was no stopping them between the 11th and 19th minutes. Unfortunately for the visitors Tipperary’s domination stemmed from a mistake by Westmeath goalkeeper Aaron McHugh. He was forced into a mishit clearance by the Séamus Callanan, who was starting his first game this year, and when Darcy claimed possession he had the easiest of finishes.
Tipperary had scored three points in a row prior to that 16th minute strike, and another brilliant shot from Michael Breen yielded a 1-7 to 0-3 lead.
Killian Doyle hit back but it was only a momentary reprieve, Forde and Alan Flynn combined for two points each before the killer score from Morris. Darcy burst through, looking to finish off his second goal and when Conor Shaw got in the hook, Morris flicked the ball to the net.
Doyle scored his fourth point but Westmeath were trailing 2-11 to 0-5 with six minutes of normal time remaining in the first half and Forde’s stunning sideline cut was the perfect way to round off the scoring before the break with Tipperary leading 2-14 to 0-7.
Forde piled on the pressure again on the restart, he brought his tally to double figures from a free, and then disaster struck for Westmeath. Killian Doyle scored a free in the 39th minute but moments he was awarded a straight red card for a collision with Seán O’Brien, where the Raharney forward ended up with a broken hurl.
Westmeath were forced into a change of free-taker, and Allan Devine provided two quick points but Tipperary were relentless. Ronan Maher got in on the scoring as the lead rose to 2-18 to 0-10. Morris showed glimpses of his brilliance and he flashed over points in the 48th and 52nd minutes.
The game was already well over and it gave Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy the chance to bring on players with the experience of Noel McGrath. McNicholas and Devine scored back-to-back points but Westmeath were turning their attentions on the relegation play-off while Tipperary move towards a clash with Liam Cahill’s Waterford.
Scorers for Tipperary: Jason Forde 0-14 (0-9f, 0-1sl), Jake Morris 1-3, Cian Darcy 1-1, Séamus Callanan 1-1, Ronan Maher 0-3, Alan Flynn 0-2, Michael Breen 0-2, Mark Kehoe 0-1.
Scorers for Westmeath: Killian Doyle 0-7 (0-6f, 0-1 65), Allan Devine 0-5 (0-5f), Derek McNicholas 0-2, Aonghus Clarke 0-1, Ciarán Doyle 0-1.
Tipperary
1. Brian Hogan (Lorrha-Dorrha)
2. Cathal Barrett (Holycross-Ballycahill)
3. Barry Heffernan (Nenagh Éire Óg)
4. Seán O’Brien (Newport)
5. Séamus Kennedy (St Mary’s)
6. Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields)
7. Bryan O’Mara (Holycross-Ballycahill)
8. Alan Flynn (Kiladangan)
9. Michael Breen (Ballina)
13. Jason Forde (Silvermines)
14. Séamus Callanan (Drom & Inch)
11. Niall O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs)
12. Cian Darcy (Kilruane MacDonaghs)
15. Jake Morris (Nenagh Éire Óg)
10. Mark Kehoe (Kilsheelan-Kilcash)
Substitutes
24. Craig Morgan (Kilruane MacDonaghs) for Barrett (44)
23. Noel McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney) for Kehoe (48)
26. Dillon Quirke (Clonoulty-Rossmore) for O’Brien (48)
19. Paul Flynn (Kiladangan) for O’Meara (56)
17. Paddy Cadell (JK Brackens) for Kennedy (66)
Westmeath
1. Aaron McHugh (Raharney)
4. Adam Ennis (Delvin)
3. Tommy Doyle (Lough Lene Gaels)
2. Conor Shaw (Brownstown)
5. Aaron Craig (St Anne’s, Wexford)
6. Aonghus Clarke (Castletown Geoghegan)
7. Liam Varley (Castletown Geoghegan)
12. Robbie Greville (Raharney)
8. Cormac Boyle (Raharney)
10. Joey Boyle (Raharney)
11. Derek McNicholas (Lough Lene Gaels)
23. Josh Coll (Delvin)
27. Killian Doyle (Raharney)
14. Allan Devine (Castlepollard)
13. Niall Mitchell (Clonkill)
Substitutes
15. Ciarán Doyle (Raharney) for Coll (23)
16. Brian McHugh (Raharney) for Aaron McHugh (35)
26. Darragh Clinton (Delvin) for J Boyle (48)
30. Darragh Egerton (Clonkill) for Ennis (58)
24. John McCarthy (Castlepollard) for Mitchell (62).
Referee: Patrick Murphy (Carlow).
A Dublin team with everyone making themselves available to the team,will be a very dangerous team. And only a good thing for hurling. Next year you could have 4 teams in Leinster and be 5 teams in Munster that on anyones day could beat eachother.
@Jack Fogarty: you could possibly have 6 teams in Munster if it wasn’t for jackasses like yer man above.
Sorry Ger, but you’re just embarrassing yourself. And I don’t even like Dublin.
@Eoin Nolan: fu€k you
@Ger Martin: The truth hurts doesn’t it sweetheart?
@Ciara Baines: nope
I actually don’t give a fu€k what you think
I told the truth there and that’s why you are responding through bitterness
All you Dublin ponses are all the same
Take you out of the city in any direction and there will be traffic chaos as it’s like rabbits caught in headlights
Ha ha €unts all of ye
@Ger Martin: hahahahahahahahahahahahaha thanks for not disappointing Geraldine.
@Ger Martin: hahaha, no arguing with that!!!! Good man.
They will win fu€k all
The gaa will pump a load of money in as usual to have a manufactured team trying to play a traditional game against the lads that uts bred into since they came out of the cradle
And also with a fella that knows no more about hurling than a pig knows about having a holiday
You will see a glass eye growing out if a tom cats arse before you will see that crowd winning a championship
@Ger Martin: I take it you dont like the Dubs Ger
@Ger Martin: what about the nucleus
@Ger Lyons: the nucleus could do it
@Mervyn Queally: fu€k them
The dubs think the whole world revolves around them and everyone should bow down to them
I hope the piss is hammered out of them in every game they play
@Ger Martin: gilroy played both hurling and football with vinnys ya fool. All the lads who dropped off the panal will come back in. He led the footballers to the 1st sam maguire in 16 yrs im sure hes gonna have a huge impact on the hurlers.
To be fair, it’s comments like this that convince us how bloody thick the rest of the country is.
@ryan o sullivan: he led them
It’s you that’s the fool you fu€kin pri€k
Kerry fu€kin handed it to them
So what if he played club hurling with the vinnies you Dublin fu€kin ponse
That doesn’t make him an inter county manager
And as for being a player he wasn’t worth one bucket of goats shit you €unt
@BlueMagic: it’s a gas rant to read all the same, amazed he could post the comments before his exploded from all that Dublin hatred
@Ger Martin: Someone has serious anger issues. Get a great laugh out of your posts though so thanks for the giggles!
@Ger Martin: your comments are mighty, best laugh ive had on here in ages. We will beat the dubs for ya in SHC first round next year.
@Ciara Baines: fu€k you toots
Suck my dick
@Ger Martin: Doubt you even have one pet! At least not till you pass puberty.