Sensational comeback halted as late goal sinks Tipperary minors in final round Munster clash

Electric Ireland Munster Minor Football Championship - Phase 1 - Round 3

Tipperary 2-6

Clare 2-8

The Tipperary minor footballers found a new and definitively devastating way to be downtrodden in Clarecastle on Monday evening, falling to an injury-time goal to hosts Clare despite a terrific last quarter fightback in the final round of the Electric Ireland Munster Minor Football Championship.

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Having barely landed a blow in the first two-thirds of play - and played against a strong first-half wind - a converted 37th-minute penalty from Conor O’Meara injected life into the Tipperary challenge later on, having only registered a single point from a Danny Cashin 45 up to that point.

It gave renewed energy to the players, and a flurry of points followed through Cillian Morrissey, Conor O’Meara (free) and Jack Donnelly to bring the contest back into the melting pot. 

Six minutes from time, the comeback was well and truly on the cards when Hugh Carolan landed a booming two-point effort from the tip of the arc, slicing an outside-of-the-boot effort over the black spot. The comeback well and truly on now.

Clare were at sixes and sevens and, from the result kick-out after the Carolan effort, Tipp turned over possession, steeling in behind as Cillian Morrissey and Carolan linked up close to goal to allow the Moyle Rovers man to bat home the leading score.

However, a dubious decision would go against Tipperary in the third minute of injury time when a Clare attacker cut in from the left-hand touch line, unleashed a shot and with Danny Cashin making the save, the ball fell into the path of Thomas Dillon to bat home despite clearly being in the square at the time.

Tipperary tried in vain to find an equalising two-pointer to draw, or another goal to win it in the remaining minutes, but the opportunity never came as the group suffered a third consecutive loss in Phase 1.

More to follow.........

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