WATERFORD BOSS DEREK McGrath described yesterday’s victory over Tipperary as a “very satisfying result” as Premier County supremo Michael Ryan vowed that his men will rally for Galway next Sunday.
A dramatic 1-18 to 1-17 win for the Déise had consequences for both counties as Waterford made it three from three in Division 1A – taking their League winning streak to ten matches – while Tipp are left sweating on a playoff spot.
Tipp badly need a positive result from their visit to Salthill next weekend but it could have been so different if they’d held on for the win against Waterford.
Instead, McGrath’s charges rallied from the concession of the 68th minute goal to secure a priceless result – as Austin Gleeson hammered over a winning free from 100 metres in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
McGrath said: “There’s a always a doubt when you’re coming to a place you associate with drubbings over the years – it’s a very satisfying result.
“It was great to get that late free. More effort went into the winning of the free than the striking – and that’s not taking away from Austin. He’s very good on them.
“We were thinking about it last night – if we’d lost we’d be on four points with a few others.
It’s going to be very tight is this group, we knew that all along.”
In a congested division, Tipp now have work to do to make the top four.
Boss Ryan batted away suggestions that a worrying pattern is emerging from Tipp after another game was lost in the dying embers.
Tipp were ahead late on against Galway in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final but lost it and in recent weeks, similar episodes have occurred against Kilkenny and now Waterford.
Ryan said: “That game ebbed and flowed – there was a period in the second half when we were well out of it.
“We went 20 odd minutes without getting a score and we really handed them the initiative in that period.
And we ended up chasing it. In fairness, chase it we did and got ourselves right back into it.
“Call it what you will, that game was won with the last puck, an 80, 90 yarder, that free or the previous play could have gone in either direction.
“I wouldn’t be at all harsh on our boys. This was a really good match on 6 March.
It was a really well fought, close match. But we’ve gone away a little bit wiser again. Ultimately, that’s the objective.
“If we could just achieve that objective of arriving in the quarter-final, I’d be quite happy.”
Ryan added that he hopes to have James Barry and ace forward Seamus Callanan back in contention for starting places next weekend.
Jason Forde is also injured and hasn’t featured either since scoring 1-5 for Tipp on the opening night of the League campaign against Dublin.
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