Tipperary hurlers maintain one hundred percent league record with win over Dublin

Tipperary 2-23 Dublin 0-24

Tipperary remain top of the Division One Group B table and on course for a place in the semi-finals of the Allianz National Hurling League after they beat Dublin by five points at a bitterly cold Croke Park this evening.

This was Tipp’s third straight victory of the campaign, and their win ended a sequence of defeats that had seen Dublin win the two previous league games between the counties.

Tipperary’s two goals were ultimately the difference between the sides. The first came four minutes into the second half and resulted from one of the best moves of the game, with Michael Breen and Alan Tynan involved before Mark Kehoe slipped a handpass to Conor Bowe, and the half-time substitute arrowed a low shot to the corner of the net.

That opening goal was the defining moment of the game. It put Tipp five points clear and they were set fair for victory after that.

Dublin succeeded in trimming the deficit to three points, thanks to the accurate freetaking of the outstanding Donal Burke, who accounted for 15 of his team’s 23 points, a haul that included eight points from play.

However, they were dealt another blow in the 52nd minute. After Donal Burke had fired over a great point from near the sideline, Dublin goalie Sean Brennan and a defender hesitated when Bryan O’Mara’s lengthy clearance dropped into the danger zone, and Jason Forde nipped in to stroke the loose ball to the net to make it 2-19 to 0-19.

Dublin kept pressing but Tipperary had enough about them to hold their challenge comfortably at arm’s length. Goalkeeper Barry Hogan made saves from Cian Boland’s deflected effort and Paul Crummey’s piledriver, and another Boland shot in the follow-up to Crummey's attempt on goal.

Dublin did succeed in getting the ball in the net in additional time following Conor Burke’s long range free but the score was disallowed for a square ball, and they had to settle for a late Paul Crummey point as a consolation.

Bryan O’Mara had a stormer at full back for Tipperary, even if Dublin full forward Alex Considine scored three points from play. Michael Breen, Johnny Ryan and Brian McGrath (until his injury-enforced departure on the stroke of half-time) also did well in defence.

Jason Forde continued his rich vein of form with a tally of 1-10, which included 1-2 from play, while Gearoid O’Connor, Mark Kehoe and Seamus Kennedy also made their presence felt in attack, as did Conor Bowe with that clinically-executed goal.

The sides were level five times in the first half, but when the half-time whistle sounded Tipperary were a point ahead. They had good reason to be reasonably pleased with their performance in the opening period, during which they played against the fresh breeze.

On two occasions Tipp held a three-point advantage. The first was after 20 minutes, when a sequence of hand passes enabled Brian McGrath to make it 0-8 to 0-5. McGrath picked up a knock early on and was eventually replaced by his brother Noel in the 34th minute.  

Just before the captain’s introduction, Jason Forde’s free made it 0-14 to 0-11 after a foul on Seamus Kennedy.

Points from Dublin’s Alex Considine, when he did well to shoot one-handed when under pressure, and a Donal Burke free from just inside his own made it 0-14 to 0-13 in Tipp’s favour at the break.

That score was Burke’s ninth, including six from play, in a virtuoso display of shooting in the first half.

Tipperary: Barry Hogan, Conor McCarthy, Bryan O’Mara, Johnny Ryan, Michael Breen, Ronan Maher, Brian McGrath (0-1), Conor Stakelum, Dan McCormack, Alan Tynan (0-2), Gearoid O’Connor (0-4, 2 frees), Seamus Kennedy (0-2), Jason Forde (1-10, 0-8 frees), Jake Morris (0-1), Mark Kehoe (0-3).

Substitutes: Noel McGrath (captain) for Brian McGrath (34 minutes), Conor Bowe (1-0) for Conor Stakelum (half-time), Seamus Callanan for Seamus Kennedy (56 minutes), Patrick Maher for Jason Forde (62 minutes), Cian O’Dwyer for Gearoid O’Connor (68 minutes).

Dublin: Sean Brennan, John Bellew, Eoghan O’Donnell, Paddy Doyle, James Madden, Conor Burke (0-1), Daire Gray (0-1), Conor Donohoe, Chris O’Leary (0-1), Donal Burke (0-15, 6 frees, 1 ‘65), Danny Sutcliffe, Cian Boland, Fergal Whitely, Alex Considine (0-3), Cillian Costello.

Substitutes: Joe Flanagan (0-1 free) for Cillian Costello (53 minutes), Paul Crummey (0-1) for Alex Considine (56 minutes), Donal Leavy for Fergal Whitley (62 minutes), Sean Currie (0-1) for Donal Burke (64 minutes).

Referee: Paud O’Dwyer (Carlow).