Another win means that Tipperary footballers are on a roll
Tipp have collected five points out of a possible six
Tipperary 1-14 Waterford 0-9
Tipperary gained some revenge for last year’s shock championship defeat by Waterford with a well-deserved eight points win over their Munster neighbours in the Allianz National Football League Division 4 Round 3 clash at Walsh Park on Sunday.
Moved to the Waterford city ground when the scheduled venue at Fraher Field, Dungarvan was declared unplayable a day earlier, the game was the latest instalment in an upward curve for Tipperary football that now sees them in the hunt for promotion, with five points from their first three games.
Despite a bright start for the home side, Tipperary were the better team over the hour, holding a one-point advantage at the break, 1-5 to 0-7, and restricting the Deise to just two points in the second half when the Tipp defence was superb.
Clonmel Commercials marksman Sean O’Connor was the star performer upfront, with a personal tally of 1-10, with 1-6 from play. But the winning of this game was at the back, where the defenders blocked and tackled, and fought ferociously for every ball, especially in the second half.
Jimmy Feehan was outstanding at full back, flanked by Manus McFadden and Jack Harney, who also put in huge shifts. Luke Boland was equally influential at number six, with Tadhg Condon and Mark Stokes working tirelessly on the wings, always alert to Waterford danger, as well as launching attacks up the sidelines.
The solid foundation at the back allowed greater scope to the attack, and Sean O’Connor was the player to benefit most. His eighth minute goal helped Tipperary to claw back an early Waterford lead, and he went on to add six points from play and four from placed balls.
Ironically, he may be disappointed with his final tally, as he was one-on-one with Waterford goalkeeper Paudie Hunt for what should have been a second goal, only for the Rathgormack man to pull off a great save, while he also left a number of scores from placed balls behind him, either off target or dropped short.
But that doesn’t detract from a hugely impressive display, and manager Philly Ryan will know the importance of having a high-quality scoring forward for the crucial games in the league still to come.
What he won’t be happy with was the early departure of team captain Steven O’Brien with a quad injury. Ryan has already spoken of the need to manage the Ballina man’s game time but he didn’t think he would last only 17 minutes against Waterford. O’Brien had already scored a lovely point, thought at first to be a two- pointer before the linesman intervened from his vantage point to reduce it to a single.
The upside for Ryan was that O’Brien’s replacement, Clonmel Commercials’ man Cian Smith, had a very influential game, linking up well with O’Connor and Mikey O’Shea in attack, and scoring the game’s only two-pointer at a crucial stage in the second half.
A stuttering start saw Tipperary go two points down in the first three minutes, with Deise scores from James Walsh and Alan Dunwoody.
Tipp looked nervous and unsettled, with kickouts and kick passes going out over the sideline in quick succession, but they quickly found their rhythm. Steven O’Brien opened their account in the seventh minute but disaster struck for the home side from the kickout, when goalkeeper Paudie Hunt’s kick was intercepted by the alert Conor Fahey and he put O’Connor through for the game’s only goal.
O’Connor extended the lead to 1-2 to 0-2 in the 11th minute but Waterford responded with three in a row, from Dunwoody and two from the impressive James Walsh, to draw level. O’Connor hit back with a Tipp point just before O’Brien’s premature departure.
The second quarter was finely balanced, with Waterford pushing Tipp all the way, hoping to repeat the shock victory in last year’s championship.
A free from Rathgormack’s Jason Curry pulled them level before O’Connor kicked two in a row, either side of a second goal chance for the Clonmel player, only denied by a great save from Paudie Hunt.
Another Rathgormack player Conor Murray reduced the margin to a point at half time, 1-5 to 0-7, but the half ended in controversy as referee David Hickey blew the whistle as a high ball into the Tipperary danger area spelled trouble for the defence, with the home players and supporters believing that the move should have been allowed to finish.
However, that was as good as it got for the home side, who were restricted to just two points in the second half, from Conor Murray and Donie Fitzgerald. The Tipp stars in this half were the defenders, who smothered the Waterford attacking threat, a defensive performance that greatly impressed manager Ryan.
Sean O’Connor from a free, Mark Russell with a fisted score, and O’Connor again from a Cathal Deely pass, extended the visitors’ lead six minutes into the second half, before a fine score from Conor Murray offered Waterford some hope.
But that was quickly extinguished with a superb two-pointer from Cian Smith in the 53rd minute to leave his side 1-10 to 0-8 ahead. That appeared to drain the fight from Waterford, who were outscored four to one in the closing stages, all the Tipp scores from O’Connor, three from frees – one awarded under the new rules when Waterford failed to keep three players in the opposition half - to a Deise reply from Donie Fitzgerald.
There were black cards in the final minutes for Waterford’s Rory Furlong and Tipp defender Tadhg Condon, but by then victory was assured, as Tipp remain unbeaten in their quest for promotion. Their next assignment is a home against London this weekend, with tougher games to follow against Limerick, Wexford and Wicklow.
Tipperary: Shane Ryan (Clonmel Commercials), Manus McFadden (Grangemockler/Ballyneale), Jimmy Feehan (Killenaule), Jack Harney (Moyle Rovers), Tadhg Condon (Clonmel Commercials), Luke Boland (Moyle Rovers), Mark Stokes (Kilsheelan/Kilcash), Cathal Deely (Clonmel Commercials), Mark Russell (Aherlow) 0-1; Micheal Freaney (Kilsheelan/Kilcash), Steven O’Brien (Ballina) 0-1; Ben Comerford (Grangemockler/Ballyneale), Conor Fahey (Upperchurch/Drombane), Sean O’Connor (Clonmel Commercials) 1-10, 4 frees; Mikey O’Shea (CJ Kickhams Mullinahone).
Subs: Cian Smith (Clonmel Commercials) 0-2, 1 2pt for O’Brien (17), Kieran Costello (Thurles Sarsfields) for Comerford (HT), Darragh Brennan (Ballyporeen) for Fahey (HT), Paudie Feehan (Killenaule) for Russell (63), Jack O’Neill (Ardfinnan) for Deeley (63).
Waterford: Paudie Hunt (Rathgormack), Colin Foley (Abbeyside/Ballinacourty), Caoimhin Walsh (Kilrossanty), Liam Fennell (Stradbally), Donie Fitzgerald (Kilrossanty) 0-1; Darach Ó Cathasaigh (An Rinn), Dermot Ryan (The Nire), Joe Booth (Colligan), Rory Furlong (Roanmore), James Power (Rathgormack), Conor Murray (Rathgormack) 0-2; Alan Dunwoody (Kilrossanty) 0-2; Jason Curry (Rathgormack) 0-1 free; James Walsh (Modeligo) 0-3; Tholom Guiry (The Nire).
Subs: John Groves (Dunhill) for Booth (42), Jamie Power (Modeligo) for James Power (56), Ciaran Walsh (The Nire) for Dunwoody (65), Adam Crawford (Shamrocks) for Fitzgerald (71).
Referee: David Hickey (Carlow).