Tipperary Hurling Tipperary GAA Premierview

Cork 2-19 Tipperary 1-16 (10-07-2004) Knocknagow



Tipperary advanced to the quarter final of the All-Ireland Championships and a meeting with Antrim after this comprehensive win over a poor Tipp team in Killarney this afternoon on a very poor pitch.. The attendance was about 40,000. Westmeath's Brian Kelly was the ref. Tipp played with the advantage of a slight wind in the first half as both teams lined out as selected.
Cork started brightly when a Sean Og Haiplin pass found debutant Kieran Murphy who pointed after only 13 seconds. Eamon Corcoran took a free; found Eoin Kelly who pointed over his shoulder. Niall McCarthy then put Cork back in the lead on 4 minutes with a point after a pass from Tom Kenny. Tipp then took over. Benny Dunne levelled the game. Seamus Butler was fouled and Eoin Kelly pointed. Eoin Kelly then found Conor Gleeson free on the 45 and he pointed. Eoin Kelly gave a lovely pass to Eoin Kelly and from midfield he pointed. Kelly then had another free before he put the ball wide. An Eamon Corcoran sideline found John Carroll who added another to put Tipp 7-2 up after 20 minutes this was by far Tipp's best spell of the game.
Brian Corcoran and Gardiner both had wides before Deane responded with two free the second involved Declan fanning being booked for a rash pull on Niall McCarthy. Paul Kelly had a wide before two Ben O'Connor frees put only a point in it. Cork then had the first goal chance but Brendan Cummins was relieved to see the ball hit the side netting. With 5 minutes of the half left Benny pointed to put Tipp 8-6 up. Cork made their first change with the ineffective Garvan McCarthy being replace by Timmy McCarthy. John Carroll then got a yellow card after a tussle with Sullivan. He then burst through on goals and was floored by Cusack who was booked. While Cusack was receiving treatment a tussle broke out. When the dust had settled Eoin Kelly took the penalty. It was saved but Paul Kelly was on hand to bury the rebound to the net. Jerry O' Connor finished the scoring with a point. Just on the break as the ball went over the sideline Benny Dunne pulled wildly and was lucky not to receive a yellow card at least, it was Colin Morrissey who got booked. Half time score Tipp 1-8 Cork 0-7.
Neither side made any changes at the start of the second half. Cork blitzed Tipp on the resumption with 2 Joe Deane frees. A bustling run by Timmy McCarthy through the heart of the Tipp defence saw him goal to put Cork 1-9 to 1-8 up. Ben O'Connor pointed soon afterwards. Benny Dunne was fouled and Eoin Kelly pointed. Joe Deane pointed a free as both Tommy Dunne and Niall McCarthy had wides. Tipp made their first change with Lar Corbett replacing Seamus Butler. A long range Eamon Corcoran free found Eoin Kelly through on gaols but he shot over. With 17 minutes gone the score was level at 1-11 each.
Brendan Cummins pulled off a good save but Gardiner pointed as the abll was cleared. Brian Corcoran found Timmy McCarthy and he pointed. Tommy Dunne had a bad wide before Mark O'Leary replaced Paul Kelly. Straight away he got the ball soloed and pointed. A Niall McCarthy point put Cork 2 up. Benny Dunne was fouled and Eoin Kelly pointed the free. He then missed one soon after. The game was killed off after 28 minutes when a Tom Kenny found Niall McCarthy. He fumbled his first effort but pulled on the ball and his shot left Brendan Cummins stranded 2-14 to 1-13. Cork took off Tom Kenny and replaced him with Mickey O'Connell. Ben O'Connor and Eoin Kelly swapped points before Lar had a shocking wide. Tipp reduced the gap to a goal with another pint and missed a goal chance soon afterwards. But as injury time approached it was Cork who powered ahead. Tipp brought on Noel Morris for John Carroll and put Tommy Dunne into full forward. Cork were now scoring points for fun as Kieran Murphy, Mickey O'Connell and Deane all pointed. Lar then summed up Tipp's day when his sideline went straight to a Cork player. Eoin Kelly finished Tipp's scoring with a point. But their was time for Mickey O'Connell to finish the scoring in injury time with a good point. After 4 painful minutes of injury time the ref blew up. Final score Cork 2-19 Tipp 1-16.
Donal O'Grady will be very pleased with this win. They now are nearly certainly through to the All-Ireland semis with only Antrim facing them in the quarter finals. O'Grady will be especially with the way that they did not panic in the first half when they were 5 points down and the Jerry O'Connor point the break took the sting out of Paul Kelly's goal. Donal O'Grady will be delighted with the contribution of his half forwards in the second half. With the full forward line starved of possession the 2 McCarthy's and Ben O'Connor dominated the second half. Cork scored 2-12 in the second half, with Niall McCarthy getting 1-2 and Timmy 1-1. Again when they won the ball and ran at Tipp they exposed Tipp and Tipp paid the price. His half backline especially Sean Og Haiplin played very well as they dominated the very weak and ineffective Tipp half forwards.
So Tipp's recovery and All-Ireland ambitions end in tatters as when the pressure was applied




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Tipperary v Cork (10-07-2004) Preview Knocknagow

Tipp face Cork in Killarney in the first game of Round 3 of the Qualifiers in Killarney on Saturday at 4.15. The game will be televised live and will go to extra time if its level after 70 minutes. This is Tipp's first game in Killarney since the historic replayed Munster Final win over the same opposition 4-22 to 1-22. Indeed as far as I am aware Tipp have never lost a Championship game in Killarney. As it was the qualifiers Tipp and Cork's home and away agreement does not apply. Tipp refused to toss for venue and so the only option for the game was Killarney. The last time Tipp played Cork in the Championship was the Munster Final of 2000, which Cork, (the defending All-Ireland Champions) won by 2 points. Eugene O'Neill scored Tipp's first goal, with Tommy Dunne scoring two great goals late in the second but a late Seanie McGrath point sealed a win for Cork. A lot of the same players will feature for both sides again on Saturday.
The last League meeting between the sides was a high scoring draw in Pairc Ui Chaiomh earlier in the year, Tipp 2-17 Cork 1-20. Tipp dominated the first half but let Cork score 2-1 before the break to level the game at half time. With time almost up Eoin Kelly won a free and buried it to put Tipp a point up. However Joe Deane rescued a draw for Cork with a last gasp point. Worryingly for Tipp they did not score from play in the second half and it was only the free taking ability of the two Kelly's that kept Tipp in the game.
Cork have played three games in the Championship so far the first was a comprehensive victory over a limited Kerry side in Pairc Ui Chaiomh in the Munster quarter final. In the semi final they played Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds and won 1-18 to 2-12. They conceded a goal after 6 minutes but knuckled down and 5 unanswered points put them back in front. Limerick rallied before the break and lead 1-5 to 0-7. After the restart a Ben O'Connor free dropped short and went to the net. Cork pulled away through Ben O'Connor frees and although Sean O'Connor scored a late goal Cork held out and won by 4 points.
They faced Waterford in the Munster Final last Sunday week in Thurles and lost a very exciting game by a point, 3-16 to 1-21. Cork got off to a tonic start and lead 1-2 to 0-0 after 10 minutes with the goal a luck effort from Garvan McCarthy. Cork looked in command with Ben O'Connor and Brian Corcoran looking in top form. Eoin Kelly got a goal for Waterford to put only a point in it. Again Cork pulled away but a great Dan Shanahan catch and goal meant that at the break there was only 3 points in the game 1-14 to 2-08. Cork got a boost at the start of the second half when John Mullane got sent off. This seemed to inspire Waterford and with Paul Flynn scoring a goal from a free they were back in the game. The supply of ball into the Cork forwards stopped and with Ken McGrath, Seamus Prendergast and Flynn in top form Waterford held on for a merited 1 point win.
Of serious worry for Cork will be the performance of their forwards. Against Limerick they scored 1-10 from frees and against Waterford out of their total of 1-21 the forwards only score 8 points from play. On both days their half forward line failed to deliver and they certainly suffered v Waterford when Ken McGrath won a lot of ball in the second half and denied the ball to the inside Cork forwards. While a lot of credit has to be given to the Waterford backs, the loss of Setanta and Alan Browne and the loss of form of Joe Deane will cause headaches to Donal O'Grady. While the backs were good against Limerick, when Waterford lost a player they were well beaten by the Waterford forwards. Also the positioning of John Gardiner on Dan Shanahan back fired badly and it was only when Sean Og went over on Dan that his influence faded somewhat. Also the position of Diarmuid Sullivan as the extra man was poor. It was out around midfield in the half forward line that Cork needed the extra man.
There is no need for Tipp fans to get too carried away over their forwards display in the Championship so far. Against Waterford all that was up front was Eoin Kelly and in the first half against Limerick Tipp only scored 1 point from play! Similar to Cork the half forward line was very poor. There will definitely be changes here as Eddie Enright injured his shoulder and is out for a long while. On Saturday the Tipp forwards need to run the Cork inside backs around. Cork were badly exposed in the second half when there was more space once Mullane had been set off. Tipp could benefit from switching Eoin Kelly to full forward and dragging Sullivan out the field, leaving more space for the likes of Butler to exploit inside.
Tipp have delayed announcing their team until later on tonight, (Thursday), due to the involvement of a number of players with the Tipp U21 who were in action last night against Limerick. Diarmaid Fitzgerald captained the U21's from centre back, while of the other Senior team panel members, Shane Sweeney started at midfield, Tony Scroope lined out at full forward with former panel member Hugh Moloney at corner back. Diarmaid gave a very assured and confident performance at centre back while Tony Scroope scored a hat trick of goals from full forward. Sweeney along with Joe Caesar dominated from midfield. There will be one enforced change on the Tipp team with Eddie Enright out. He will probably be replaced by Conor Gleeson at centre forward, although after Scroope's performance for the U21's he surely must be close to a starting place. The backs will probably remain the same and with the performance of our half back line against Limerick they will not let us down. Colin Morrissey is another possibility at centre forward.
Cork have made one change to their team with Timmy McCarthy being replaced by Kieran Murphy of Sarsfields. Garvin Murphy is at left half forward with Ben O'Connor at right half forward. Brian Corcoran holds his place at full forward and is flanked by Joe Deane and Murphy. Murphy played very well against Tipp U21's in their two meetings last year and scored 7 points, (from frees), for the U21's as they beat Waterford last Tuesday night to qualify for this years Munster Final. A lot of switching will probably take place among the players on Saturday. The Cork attack looks stronger with Ben O'Connor at half forward as his habit of running at defences will cause Tipp problems on Saturday.
The Tipp team, but especially the forwards, need to start playing like a team and not going for their own scores the whole time. The one pleasing aspect of Tipp's last game was that they scored 3 goals, however the Cork defence will be a lot tighter than Limerick's. The habit of conceding late goals and the lack of a killer finish is becoming a serious worry with this Tipp team.
So how do I see this game going? Well a lot depends on the Cork attitude. They are favourites at the bookies. They played poorly against Waterford in the second half and yet still only barely lost by a point. They scored 1-21 and have one of the best half back lines in the country. A lot will depend on Eoin Kelly he got very little ball the last day and Tipp seriously struggled. He will probably be marked by Wayne Sherlock and has always found it tough against him. While Deane has not been playing good for Cork so far this year he still is lethal from frees and broken play. The Tipp inside backs need to play a lot tighter than they did against Limerick and not let their men get a run at the goals. Still Cork have two weeks to get over their Munster Final loss and while their forwards are not their best their backs are that bit more settled than ours. So Cork by 2 points.

Tipp Team

TIPPERARY (SH vs. Cork): B Cummins; M Maher, P Maher, P Curran; E Corcoran, D Fanning, D Fitzgerald; C Morrissey, P Kelly; T Dunne (Captain), C Gleeson, B Dunne; S Butler, J Carroll, E Kelly.
Subs: J Cottrell, L Corbett, T Costello, J Devane, K Dunne, D Kennedy, S Maher, N Moloney, N Morris, M O'Leary, B O'Meara, M Phelan, T Scroope, S Sweeney

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Tipperary 3-10 Limerick 2-12 Match Report Knocknagow



Tipperary advanced to the next round of the Qualifiers with a narrow 1-point win over Limerick in a poor game in the Gaelic Grounds last night. Neither teams made changes but Tipp had Tommy Dunne at midfield and Paul Kelly at wing forward. Limerick played with the advantage of a gale force wind in the first half. Dublin's Aodhain McSuibhne was the ref.
Limerick were first on the scoreboard when Andrew O'Shaughnessy won a 65 which Niall Moran pointed. Michael McKenna had a Limerick wide before a slip up by Eamon Corcoran led to O'Shaughnessy pointing. An Eoin Kelly free and was blocked and then he put the rebound wide. Paul Kelly and Seamus Butler had wides before Eddie Enright was fouled and Tommy Dunne pointed for Tipp's first score after 9 minutes. Mark Foley had a wide before Eoin Kelly scored a free after Damien Reale was yellow carded after a foul on Eddie Enright. Foley scored a Limerick point, Morrissey had a Tipp wide before Niall Moran scored after a free conceded by Paul Curran. Seamus Butler scored a point for Tipp after 16 minutes. Niall Moran brought a great save from Cummins before Fitzgerald cleared. Paul Curran had a great catch and clearance before Tipp wasted a 65 and Butler had a wide. Eoin Kelly then nearly had a goal with a fumble by the Limerick goalie. Reale then had another bad foul and Kelly punished with a pointed free; 4-3 in Limericks favour.
Mark Foley had a wide before Niall Moran pointed and Paul Kelly put wide. Seamus Butler had a shot blocked but the ball fell to Carroll who passed to Tommy Dunne who buried the ball to the net and was then cynically taken out if the game by TJ Ryan, however the goal put ahead for the first time after 27 minutes. Cummins then pulled off a great save from Cummins but Moran pointed the 65. Limerick made their first switch with James O'Brien on for JP Sheehan. With 5 minutes left a rebound from a Donnacha Sheehan shot was not cleared and O'Shaughnessy scored a goal, 1-6 to 1-3. Seamus Butler then disposed Mickey Cahill and John Carroll blasted to the net in the 32nd minute, game level 2-3 to 1-6. Tipp made their first change with Brian O'Meara on for the injured Eddie Enright at right half forward. Eoin Kelly went to centre forward. Tommy Dunne then had an effort that the goalie nearly let in. James O'Brien had the last score with a point so at the break the score was Limerick 1-7 Tipp 2-3.
Tipp a change on the resumption with Lar Corbett on instead of Paul Kelly. Tipp goaled after 23 seconds when Tommy Dunne found John Carroll who passed to Butler who scored. Donnacha Sheehan had a wide before Donie Ryan replaced Sean O'Connor. Niall Moran pointed for Limerick to make to 1-8 to 3-3 in Tipp's favour. Sheehan and O'Meara both had bad wides, Lar had a great shot blocked and cleared. On 46 minutes Colin Morrissey pointed, followed by Seamus Butler and Benny. Tipp now lead 3-6 to 1-8 but failed to press home the advantage. Morrissey had a bad wide before Donal O'Grady replaced Clem Smith. Paul Curran and Donie Ryan got booked the latter for a dirty pull on Philip Maher. Niall Moran had a point before Paul O'Grady replaced McKenna.
Paul Curran fouled O'Shaughnessy and Moran pointed the free, Donal O'Grady followed up with another point to make it 3-6 to 1-11 after 60 minutes. Brian O'Meara was replaced by Tony Scroope. Tommy Dunne was booked for a pull on Mark Foley. Eoin Kelly pointed from play to put Tipp 2 up. Pat Tobin came on for Sheehan and pointed. Morrissey responded for Tipp to make it 3-8 to 1-12. Butler was fouled but Kelly missed the free. Mark O'Leary came on for Butler. John Carroll then had a great point from long range as the game entered injury time. Tommy Dunne was fouled and from a long way out Eoin Kelly pointed to put Tipp 4 up. John Carroll then missed a great chance to seal it. Two and a half minutes into injury time O'Shaughnessy pulled on a ball and it took a slight deflection and went to the net. Donie Ryan twice threw himself to the ground in a vain attempt to win a free and the when the ref blew up after 4 minutes of injury time with Tipp just squeaking home 3-10 to 2-12.
Padjoe Whelehan will be very disappointed with this game. Tipp played poorly and yet Limerick could not beat them. 4 of the forwards were taken off Niall Moran only scored 2 points from play with O'Shaughnessy the only real Limerick threat with 2-1. For most of the game Limerick looked sloppy, slow and ponderous with the ball. An awful lot of their attempted shots were blocked down. The goalie was lucky on at least 2 occasions when he lost the ball and nearly conceded more goals.
Tipp won but it was more a case of the better of 2 poor teams. The only line that excelled was the half back line. The supply of ball into the forwards was erratic. Again the half forward line was poor, Tipp should have closed the game out midway through the second half when they went 4 points up but failed to do so and again Tipp conceded a late goal. Tipp played very poor in the first half only scoring 1 point from play and only 3 points in 35 minutes of hurling, also 16 wides is very poor. Compared the Munster Final the pace was way slower, and lacked the intensity suitable for Tipp to have any meaningful contribution in the destination of this years Liam McCarthy.
One other thing which warrants mention is the display of the ref who was very poor. He left Damien Reale on the field after 2 yellow card offences, did not punish TJ Ryan for his shoulder to Tommy Dunne after the first Tipp goal, should have yellow carded Paul Curran twice and let a lot of players away with over carrying. He also rarely left the centre of the field and was very slow in blowing up for a lot of things. Despite all the controversy he was right in not giving a free to Donie Ryan at the end as he clearly was playing for the free n both occasions. If Donie Ryan had tried to score a point then he would have been of a lot better service to his team.

The Tipp team:
Cummins: Again was beaten twice, but pulled off 3 top-drawer saves. Another good solid game from him.

Full back line: Philip Maher had a good game although in fairness was not up against much. Martin Maher had a good struggle with Donnacha Sheehan and came out on top. Paul Curran was lucky not to be sent off for a few though tackles. Made some brilliant catches but left O'Shaughnessy unmarked for the first Limerick goal.

Half back line: Best Tipp line by a long shot. Fanning had a great first half along with some very good fielding he cleared a lot of ball intelligently. Got booked at the end of the first half. Fitzgerald was my Man of the Match very solid did nothing wrong; no hurried clearances or sloppy passes. Way more suited to the wing than centre back. Corcoran had a very good second half destroying his man time after time.

Midfield: Colin Morrissey got a lot more of the ball than the last day and scored 2 good points. Still was caught in possession a few times and gave a few sloppy passes. Tommy Dunne played midfield and scored a goal and a free. His goal was crucial and gave Tipp a lead then did not deserve after playing against the wind. A much better all round display than the last day.

Half forward line: Again was very poor. Benny Dunne scored a point and contributed little else. Eddie Enright started off brightly but came off with what seemed a shoulder injury just before the break. Paul Kelly was poor had a lot of wides from far out. Came off after the break and his place is in danger for the next day.

Full forward line: After Eoin Kellys heroics the last day he had his quietest ever game for the Tipp seniors only scoring a point from play in each half. He scored a free and missed 3 more score able ones although his free at the end was the insurance score. He got very little of the ball. John Carroll had a much better game, bustling Butler out of the way for Tipp's second gaol and setting up the other two. He also scored a very good point. Seamus Butler had a good game with 1-2 he ended up as the top scorer although missed at least 2 other points by being too slow with his shot.

Subs:
Brian O'Meara for Eddie Enright: The fact that he was taken off says it all; he was awful did not do one constructive thing while on the field.
Lar Corbett for Paul Kelly: Had one great chance and brought out a good save from the Limerick goalie.
Tony Scroope for Brian O'Meara: Set up a point for Eoin Kelly. Did not see much in his first senior intercounty game.
Mark O'Leary for Seamus Butler: Did not get a touch.
So Tipp are in to Round 3 of the Qualifiers and will face Cork, (more than likely in Cork) on Saturday week. In truth we were only marginally better than against Waterford. Perhaps the few slightly encouraging signs are the display of the half back line and the fact that the other forwards scored 2-4. Still take into account the poor Limerick display, our woeful first half heartless display, our total lack of any viable options on the bench, and the display that Cork produced today in only barely losing to Waterford we will have a torrid time in two weeks.




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Waterford 4-10 Tipperary 3-12 (06-06-04)Knocknagow



Waterford ended Tipp's interest in the Munster Championship with a Paul O'Brien goal a minute and a half from the end of normal time in high scoring and entertaining Munster Semi Final in Pairc Ui Chaiomh yesterday in front of 35,500 people. Both teams made changes before the start. Tony Browne failed a fitness text on his hamstring injury and Saturday and was replaced by Brian Wall from Fourmilewater. As expected Tipp lined out with John Devane at full forward instead of Lar Corbett. Tipp also made a number of changes with Colin Morrissey going to midfield and Paul Kelly going wing back. Waterford put Prendergast out on Paul Kelly, a move that paid great dividends. Waterford played with the aid of the breeze in the first half.
Devane had the first effort for Tipp but his shot came off the post and was cleared. Waterford were first to score when a poor Philip Maher clearance was snapped up by Seamus Prendergast who pointed. Eoin Kelly had Tipp's first score with a free. Nerves seemed to be getting to Tipp and it showed when Paul Kelly missed a free. In the 6th minute John Devane was fouled again and Eoin Kelly had a go at goals from the 21-yard free but it was saved. Tommy Dunne then had a wide from a free before the first talking point of the game when a very dirty high pull by Eoin Kelly on Paul Kelly saw him only get a yellow card. Tipp got their first score from play in the 12th minute when a Devane pass found Eoin Kelly who pointed, 2-1 in Tipp's favour. Paddy O'Brien had a bad wide and straight from the puck out Bennett pointed from midfield. John Mullane was fouled and Eoin Kelly pointed. Eoin Kelly had a wide before Eddie was yellow carded.
In the 20th minute the game exploded when a sideline ball from Dave Bennett was caught by Dan Shanahan over Eamon Corcoran and then he sauntered through the Tipp defence to crash the ball to the net. Paddy O'Brien and Dave Bennett both had wides before in the 24th minute a high ball in from Eoin Kelly found Shanahan and he flicked the ball to the net. The fact that Shanahan was blatantly in the square was ignored by both umpires. Waterford now lead by 2-3 to 0-2 and looked to be cruising but back came Eoin Kelly. Straight after the Waterford goal he caught a Benny Dunne pass and buried it past Breener. He then pointed and straight away he caught an Eamon Corcoran pass and despite it being a poor shot it still beat Brenner.
So in space of 3 minutes Tipp had gone from 7 points down to level! Paul Flynn pointed a free but a fumble by Brenner saw him conceded a 65, which Paul Kelly pointed. Eoin McGrath put Waterford a point ahead before John Mullane scored one of his trademark goals when he sprinted past the Tipp defence and buried the ball to the net. Tipp's Eoin Kelly had a wide then a point to leave it after a breathless 35 minutes hurling 3-5 to 2-5 in Waterford's favour.
On the resumption Tipp brought on Marin Maher for Tom Costello and Seamus Butler for Paddy O'Brien. Devane was fouled and Eoin Kelly pointed. Corcoran picked the ball off the ground bur Philip Maher had a great catch and cleared. Butler then had a great chance but put it wide. Morrissey then chipped in with a point. Michael Walsh then point to put Waterford 2 up. Eoin Kelly then had what seemed like a good point disallowed by the same two clueless umpires who missed Dan Shanahan standing in the square for the second Waterford. Devane was again fouled and Kelly pointed. He scored another from play after some great work to level it. Waterford made their first change when Eoin McGrath was replaced by Paul O'Brien. Prendergast pointed. Benny Dunne and Mullane both had wides.
Tipp made their third change with Conor Gleeson coming on for John Carroll in the 48th minute. Brendan Cummins then pulled a save from Eoin Kelly. Tommy Dunne had a wide. Brendan Cummins then pulled off a brilliant double save the first from O'Brien and full length save from Flynn. The ball went out for a 65 which Dave Bennett pointed. Prendergast fouled Devane and got yellow carded for it. Kelly seemed to be going for goal but did not rise the ball properly and pointed instead. Waterford's Eoin Kelly pointed to make it 2-10 to 3-09. Benny Dunne had a great run at goals but his tame shot went wide. He was blantly fouled twice but he never got the free. Seamus Butler scored a point. Tipp then made a game of it when Colin Morrissey had a run from the covered stand side and despite the attentions of 3 Waterford players he kicked the ball to the net with 9 minutes to go. A great long-range point from Tommy Dunne put Tipp 3-12 to 3-9 ahead. Flynn pointed for Waterford and was replaced soon after by Shane O'Sullivan. Waterford then had a series of wides from Eoin Kelly and a great chance was wasted by Mullane.
Tipp brought on Mark O'Leary for Benny Dunne, while Waterford brought on Tom Feeney for the injured Ken McGrath. Tipp seemed to be hanging on for a win but as the game approached injury time Paul O'Brien seized his opportunity and pulled on a ball and it flashed past Brendan Cummins to the net, to put Waterford 4-10 to 3-12 ahead with 3 minutes of injury time left. Tipp had enough chances with a long range free dropping short, a Mark O'Leary effort going wide, Seamus Butler taking too much out of the ball and Eoin Kelly effort blocked down. The ref blew the whistle after 4 minutes of injury time to see Waterford through to their third Munster Final appearance in a row and Tipp to try and take the scenic route to All-Ireland glory. Final score Waterford 4-10 to 3-12.
Justin McCarthy will be delighted with this win. They had their brilliant performance against Clare and ground out a win yesterday. They had to start without Tony Browne. Paul Flynn and John Mullane were poor and missed numerous good scoring chances. Ken McGrath missed the closing stages due to a suspected cracked rib. They conceded a goal in a game they controlled with 10 minutes to go and looked beaten yet they fought back and grabbed a late winner. They had 14 wides many of them good scoring chances. Justin McCarthy will be delighted that they scored 4 goals and should have scored another 3 if were not for the brilliance of Brendan Cummins. As I feared before the game it was the Waterford half back line that did all the damage with Brain Wall being an able replacement for Tony Browne. He also had his homework done on both Corcoran and Paul Kelly. Corcoran was caught with twice on a one on one with a high ball with Dan Shanahan and Shanahan won both. Also he put Prendergast out on Paul Kelly won ball after ball and set up most pf Waterford's attacks. They still have a lot of work to do but they now have two great wins under their belts and are relishing a crack at Cork and a chance of revenge for last year.
So where did it go wrong for Tipp and Ken Hogan? Well where do I start! For a start it was amazing that Tipp got so close to winning the game when only two of the starting forwards scored! It was very noticeable that after about 10 minutes of the second half when the ball stopped going in to Eoin Kelly that Tipp's attack dried up until Morrissey went on his run. Jen should have taken off Costello and Carroll after about 10 minutes, as both were very poor. Also the replacement in the forwards that went on were very poor. It is also very poor that in a county like Tipp that we cannot find a full forward. In fairness to Devane he did ok but a full forward he will never make. Paul Kelly should not have been left at wing back the whole game. The inability of any of the Tipp forwards (bar Eoin Kelly) to win any sort of ball was heartbreaking for the backs. Also the inept shooting and dropping balls short of the forwards cost us badly. The backs also should learn to close a man down when he is running in on goals. Benny Dunne's run on goals was blocked by about 3 Waterford players, Morrissey only barely managed to get a kick at his effort. This was in sharp contrast to the Tipp backs who let Shanahan and Mullane waltz through for their goals without any sign of a tackle going in on them. There is nothing wrong with bringing a player down as he runs to gaols as Declan Prendergast did to Devane on a number of occasions yesterday to great effect.

The Tipp team:
Cummins: Was beaten 4 times but pulled off the save of the year with that brilliant double save. Was not helped by a defence that did not tackle the man running through on gaols.

Full back line: Great to see Philip Maher back in Championship. He had a great game caught ball after ball. Paul Curran had a great game on Mullane, was caught once or twice but did well out of position. Tom Costello was very poor and should not have started, way off the pace, gave a way a lot of frees and lets his man away too easily. Also should have been taken off sooner.

Half back line: Corcoran had a good game with two exceptions. Both times he allowed Dan Shanahan in behind him to score two goals in the first half, why he did not go for the safe option and try and bat both I don't know. Settled down well in the second half and completely blotted Shanahan out. Diarmuid Fitzgerald had a good debut. Got through a lot of work in the first half and a bit more subdued in the second. Not a bad start for a 21-year-old centre back. Paul Kelly way too loose for wingback. Waterford had their homework done and Prendergast caught ball after ball off of him. He did score a 65.

Midfield: Colin Morrissey had a useful introduction to senior intercounty hurling. Scored 1-1. The goal was all of his own making and he kept running purely because there was no one to pass to. Good in general play as well. Eddie started off great but faded as the game went on.

Half forward line: For Tipp to win they had to dominate. Given that Tony Browne did not start they should have won but the fact that they all were replaced tells its own story. John Carroll was very poor only won one ball and did nothing with it. He made none of his trademark bursts at goals, which is why he is centre forward. Paddy O'Brien was very poor, shot some bad wides, had some bad fumbles and was not a vague threat to the Waterford defence at any stage, lucky to last to the break. Benny Dunne set up one of Eoin Kelly's goals and should have won a free after a great run at goals late on. His general play was poor won no braking balls and contributed nothing.

Full forward line: Well what can one say about Eoin Kelly. He scored 2-8 (2-4 from play), and had a goal effort from a 21 blocked. He was outstanding as he roamed all over the place. He scored all bar 1 point of Tipp's first half tally and had to come out the field on a number of occasions to try and rouse the rest of the Tipp players, (to no avail). He got no possession after the start of the second half and it showed as Tipp looked busted. John Devane did ok. Won a lot of ball but seemed clueless when he had the ball in his hand. He is not or long term No. 14. Tommy Dunne scored a point after Morrissey's goal but was anonymous the rest of the game. Only for other players worse than him and nothing on the bench he would have been taken off.
Subs:
Martin Maher for Tom Costello: Came on at the break and immediately settled down the ship. Was lucky that an off the ball incident was not seen. Should have been there form the start.
Seamus Butler for Paddy O'Brien: Had three scoring chances drove the first wide, scored the second and was too scared to have a try and shoot for the equaliser in injury time.
Conor Gleeson for Jon Carroll: Was warming up for most of the game. Should have come on way sooner. Had a chance near the end but missed it.
Mark O'Leary for Benny Dunne: Came on with a minute to go, had a great chance to level but it went wide. Should not have been on the field as he has a broken hand.

So for the second time in a row Tipp lose to Waterford in the Munster Championship. This game was there for the taking but Tipp did not have enough spine to stand up and take it. The management must shoulder a lot of the criticism for: the poor selection, the number of players playing out of position, the length of time that players were left on the field and the poor quality of the bench. Looking at the panel they had no one to bring on that could win the game like Waterford did with Paul O'Brien. Tipp will not win anything this year through the backdoor. I expect the team the next day to see a lot of changes. We had a great chance to win this game but with the exception of Eoin Kelly who was one of the few players putting himself on the line we had no one who wanted to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and win it.
However we were very poor up front and did not deserve to win. The best team won at the end of the day and best of luck to Waterford in the Munster Final.
Knocknagow


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Tipperary v Waterford (06-06-2004) Knocknagow

Tipp and Waterford do battle in the Munster Semi Final on Sunday in Pairc Ui Chaiomh, Cork at 4.00 on Sunday for the right to face Cork in the Munster Final in early July. The game is live on RTE. The ref is Diarmuid Kirwan of Cork. It is two years since the sides last met in the Championship. Waterford won a high scoring Munster Final 2-23 to 3-12. Waterford dominated for large spells of the game and with Tony Browne, Ken McGrath and John Mullane in inspirational form Tipp as duly surrendered their Munster crown. Indeed looking back on that game it was the start of bad spell for Tipp in the Championship as although Tipp only barely lost the All-Ireland Semi Final to Kilkenny, two very harsh beatings last year left Tipp in a bad way and took some of the gloss off the 2001 All-Ireland victory.

While Tipp have changed a bit since the game two years ago Waterford have pretty much the same personal on board. At least 12 of the players who beat Tipp in 2002 will take the field again on Sunday. Perhaps the main change will be of Com Bonnar who was the Waterford trainer for 4 years and now is the Tipp trainer! While Tipp have changed manager since then a lot of the personal involved in that loss will be in action on Sunday. The last meeting between the sides was in Thurles on the last day of the group stages of the League when Waterford need a draw to get to the League Final whereas Tipp needed a 14+ win to get to the Final. Waterford duly got the draw in high scoring 1-22 to 3-16 game. Early in the second half Tipp led 2-12 to 0-10 but let Waterford back in and with Paul Flynn in flying form from frees, (he scored 1-11 from frees alone in the second half!), the game ended up in a draw. Waterford played poorly and lost the League Final to Galway two weeks after, 2-15 to 1-13. The performance of Dan Shanahan was one of the few highlights as Galway outclassed the Deise.

A week later they took on hot favourites Clare in Thurles in the Munster Semi Final and destroyed them, 3-21 to 1-8. Again it was Dan Shanahan who caused all the damage notching 3-1, John Mullane chipped in with 4 points and Dave Bennett with six were the main tormentors of Clare. Ken McGrath and Tony Browne also impressed greatly from the half back line. From start to finish they dominated proceedings and won well in all sectors of the field.

Tipp on the other hand have had a fairly quiet build up to the game. With the exception of Denis Byrne, (who is a long term injury loss with a lung infection), there does not seem to be any other serious injuries unlike the build up to last years Championship when Tipp were ruined by injuries, although Mark O’Leary, David Kennedy and Noel Morris are all struggling with injuries picked up in the past month. Martin Maher is still struggling with his knee injury and Declan Fanning is struggling with a shoulder injury. Although Tipp’s last game was against Waterford in the League they have only played 2 challenge game since then; the first a fairly easy win over Laois in Puckane 4-21 to 1-10. Tony Scroope, Seamus Butler, Eoin Kelly and surprisingly John Devane at full forward did the damage in what was by all accounts a lacklustre game. The second was against Cork in Fermoy in which Cork won. However there has been a good few games in the County Hurling Championship played so since the League ended the Intercounty players have played at least 3 games.

When Waterford are on song as they showed 2 years ago against Tipp and against Clare they are very hard to stop. They are the best team around for scoring 10 points in 5 minutes. Tipp will have to be tight, stick to players like Mullane like glue and try and try and unsettle Ken McGrath and Tony Browne in the half backline. Waterford have a big advantage in that their best line the last day was the one which caused Tipp the most trouble over the past few years. While the Tipp half forward line will score its fair share they allow their men clear the ball way too easily setting up scores for the opposition for scores and denying Eoin Kelly possession. Tipp also have a problem in scoring goals against the better teams in the League although ironically they managed 3 very good ones against Waterford in the League!

Tipp will know a lot about this Waterford team after the Clare game. Waterford have a very strong half back line who when on song both Tony Browne and Ken McGrath. Their midfield of Eoin Kelly and Dave Bennett also cleaned up the last day from open play and with scores of their own. For Tipp to have any chance the Tipp players in these two lines will have to be on top of their game, take the chances that come their way and don’t concede possession. The Waterford forwards are also on song at the moment, as well as scoring 3-21 against Clare they also had 17 wides! The Tipp backs will have to hope that very little ball comes in and that they stick like glue to their men. Also the likes of Dan Shanahan and John Mullane can not be given free reign to run all over the field or they will rack up the scores.



The Tipp team was picked last night and is as follows:

Brendan Cummins

Tom Costello, Philip Maher and Paul Curran

Eamon Corcoran, Diarmuid Fitzgerald and Colin Morrissey

Eddie Enright and Paul Kelly

Paddy O’Brien, John Carroll and Benny Dunne

Tommy Dunne, Eoin Kelly and Lar Corbett

The team has 2 Championship debutants starting, Morrissey and Fitzgerald and shows a number of changes from the side that drew with Waterford in the last round of the League, Tom Costello replaces Martin Maher, Morrissey comes in for Fanning, and in the forwards Lar Corbett replaces Tony Scroope. Paddy O’Brien is in for his first start since the 2000 Munster Final! Although he did make a few cameo appearances in the 2001 Championship team, loss of form and a lot of injuries has hampered his progress. Interestingly enough both debutants have captained to Tipp to Munster titles from centre back! Diarmuid Fitzgerald the Minors in 2001 and Colin Morrissey the Intermediates in 2002. The Waterford team has not been named although at the amount of switching they do, their numbers will be irrelevant.

So Tipp have named a team with a lot of surprises and taken a lot of risks. Tom Costello was destroyed the last time Tipp played Waterford in the Championship, Diarmuid Fitzgerald despite never having played centre back in the League gets to start. Morrissey again only started one game in the League at corner back and played poorly, came on as a late sub against Clare, Galway and Waterford. While up front Lar Corbett is deemed fit enough to start.

Firstly the positives. It is good to see Paul Curran start. Even though he came into the Tipp team at a late stage last year he did not let us down. While he was never going to Keep Philip out of the No.3 jersey hopefully he can settle in the corner. He will probably be on Mullane and should have the pace for him. Paul Kelly has been too loose at wing back. A top class forward and point taker hopefully with Eddie doing the grafting he can nick 4-5 points. I am delighted to see Eoin Kelly at full forward; with the right kind of ball he can win games on his own. With the rest of the forwards there will be a lot of moving around. Benny Dunne is another Tipp player who takes no crap and notches up a few scores. Unlike other years Tipp have a few players up front able to nick goals, Tommy Dunne and Paddy O’Brien and Seamus Butler off the bench should keep the dodgy Waterford full back line on its toes.

Now the negatives. Tom Costello and Lar Corbett both are only recovering from injury and doubts remain over their ability at this level. Lar had a great 2001 Championship but has not impressed at all in the Championship since then. Morrissey has not impressed for Tipp so far and is very untested at this level. While Fitzgerald has not been found wanting at centre back for the Tipp Minor and U21’s one has to question of putting a 21 year old who has impressed so far in the League at wing back in on Dan Shanahan for his first Championship start. We have no height or ball winners at wing forward. Yes both Paddy and Benny are good point takers but they are not going to win the puck outs. All the Tipp puck outs will have to go straight down the middle. Also our subs bench does not look to hectic, Martin Maher for the backs, Conor Gleeson, O’Leary and Seamus Butler up front does not inspire confidence.

So how do I see this game going? Well unlike the game 2 years ago when Tipp were the red-hot favourites this time around the bookies have Waterford as the favourites. Waterford also are the team that have shown their hand although it remains to be seen if this is an advantage or not. While Waterford played superbly against Clare their main problem at present seems to be putting two good performances back to back. While there is no doubting their ability to win their inconsistence from game to game is the main reason why they lack silverware. They certainly have the players; Ken McGrath, Paul Flynn, John Mullane and Dan Shanahan all are match winners on their day.

Tipp have been very quiet and while the backs look solid enough there are major question marks over the forwards. The half forward line struggled all through the League even against the weaker teams. I expect a lot of switching in this line with a lot of players spending time in the half forward line. Tipp need to get the ball in often to Eoin Kelly who has the skill and pace to get Tipp scores. Also the rest of the forwards need to chip in as well. Tommy Dunne is needed to be on top form to nick a few goals although corner forward is not his best position. Tipp need to win in the half back line to have any hope of winning. If Waterford break even here then they will win.

All in all taking into account the inept Clare resistance to Waterford a few weeks ago, hoping the Tipp backs hold their men, and the Tipp forwards to find their range; a narrow 2 point win for Tipp.

Knocknagow