Dublin 0-17
Tipperary 4-20
TIPPERARY blitzed Dublin by 15 points at Semple Stadium this afternoon to advance to the Allianz NHL Division 1 final for the first time since 2009.
The Premier County scored a handsome victory against a desperately disappointing Dublin outfit in Thurles to set up a showpiece decider with Galway or Kilkenny on May 5.
At half-time, this tie was over as Eamon O’Shea’s rampant side led by 3-11 to 0-8.
Wind-assisted, Tipp looked to kill this game early and the massive gulf in class between Divisions 1A and 1B was cruelly exposed here.
Shane Bourke netted Tipp’s opening goal in the second minute, brilliantly fetching Noel McGrath’s long free before smashing a shot past Alan Nolan.
Such was Tipp’s dominance that by the 18th minute, all six of their starting forwards had registered scores from play.
By full-time, midfielders Noel McGrath and Shane McGrath were also on target, along with sub Mikey Heffernan, who scored a goal in stoppage time at the end of the game.
Tipp’s second goal arrived in the tenth minute when Pa Bourke’s partially blocked down shot fell nicely for Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher, who headed straight for goal.
The combative Lorrha-Dorrha star was fouled as he got his shot away but referee Brian Gavin, who appeared to have blown his whistle to signal a free-in, allowed the goal to stand.
And Tipp added a third goal in the 33rd minute, when Seamus Callanan slammed home an unstoppable penalty after the industrious Bourke was fouled by Ruairí Trainor.
Dublin managed just five points from play in the first half – including a brace each for their best player Danny Sutcliffe, and David O’Callaghan.
The second half was a procession as merciless Tipperary piled on the misery.
Dublin did get to within nine points – 0-15 to 3-15 – with less than twenty minutes remaining but Tipp’s response was emphatic as they registered five unanswered points, including a brace from Seamus Callanan and one from young Jason Forde, who was exceptionally good.
Nolan did well to keep out James Woodlock in the 59th minute as Tipp threatened to bag another goal.
But Nolan blotted his copybook in stoppage time when he struggled with a ball in his own goalmouth and Heffernan picked his pocket at the Killinan End to scramble home a goal that summed up Dublin’s wretched afternoon.
Dublin rarely threatened to breach a rock-solid but underworked Tipp rearguard although veteran goalkeeper Brendan Cummins did produce two good second half saves to keep out Sutcliffe and former Tipp player Ryan O’Dwyer.
Scorers for Dublin: Paul Ryan 0-4 (3f, 1 65), Danny Sutcliffe 0-4, David Treacy 0-3 (1f), David O’Callaghan & Shane Durkin 0-2 each, Joseph Boland & Conal Keaney 0-1 each.Scorers for Tipperary: Shane Bourke 1-1, Seamus Callanan 1-7 (2f, 1 65), Jason Forde 0-4 (1 sl), Patrick Maher & Mikey Heffernan 1-0 each, Noel McGrath & Pa Bourke 0-3 each, Shane McGrath & Lar Corbett 0-1 each.
DUBLIN: Alan Nolan (St Brigid’s); Peter Kelly (Lucan Sarsfields), Paul Schutte (Cuala), Ruairí Trainor (St Vincent’s); Michael Carton (O’Toole’s), Liam Rushe (St Pat’s, Palmerstown), Shane Durkin (Ballyboden St Enda’s); Joseph Boland (Na Fianna), Simon Lambert (Ballyboden St Enda’s); Conal Keaney (Ballyboden St Enda’s), John McCaffrey (Lucan Sarsfields), Danny Sutcliffe (St Jude’s); Conor McCormack (Ballyboden St Enda’s), David O’Callaghan (St Mark’s), David Treacy (Cuala).
Subs: Ryan O’Dwyer (Kilmacud Crokes) for Lambert (21), Paul Ryan (Ballyboden St Enda’s) for McCormack (24), Niall Corcoran (Kilmacud Crokes) for Trainor (47), Niall McMorrow (Ballyboden St Enda’s) for McCaffrey (53), Eamon Dillon (St Finbarr’s) for Treacy (62).
TIPPERARY: Brendan Cummins (Ballybacon-Grange); Paddy Stapleton (Borrisoleigh), Conor O’Mahony (Newport), Michael Cahill (Thurles Sarsfields); Donagh Maher (Burgess), Pádraic Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), Brendan Maher (Borrisoleigh); Noel McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney), Shane McGrath (Ballinahinch); Jason Forde (Silvermines), Lar Corbett (Thurles Sarsfields), Patrick Maher (Lorrha-Dorrha); Pa Bourke (Thurles Sarsfields), Shane Bourke (JK Brackens), Seamus Callanan (Drom & Inch).
Subs: Conor O’Brien (Éire Óg Annacarty) for Cahill (51), James Woodlock (Drom & Inch) for S McGrath (58), Mikey Heffernan (Éire Óg Nenagh) for Corbett (59), Tomás Hamill (Killea) for Pádraic Maher (64), Timmy Hammersley (Clonoulty-Rossmore) for S Bourke (64).
Referee: Brian Gavin (Offaly).
