Tipperary 0-21
Waterford 0-16
Fintan O’Toole reports from Semple Stadium, Thurles
TIPPERARY PICKED UP their first piece of championship silverware since manager Eamonn O’Shea took over in a tight and tense Munster final battle against Waterford today.
The home fans in the 43,084 present in Semple Stadium saw their team grind out a merited success with a strong closing phase to the game.
Waterford were still very much in contention after Maurice Shanahan arrowed over a 57th minute point to leave them 0-15 to 0-13 adrift.
However Tipperary put daylight between the sides when they oustcored Waterford by 0-6 to 0-3 in the closing stages with John O’Dwyer demonstrating his class while substitutes Lar Corbett and Shane Bourke also got in on the scoring act.
It was Tipperary’s 41st Munster senior hurling crown and their 3rd in five seasons at the expense of Waterford in a final. But after the pain of recent championship losses, this was a triumph for Eamonn O’Shea and his players to savour.
In a tight and tense contest, they started best to manufacture a 0-7 to 0-3 lead by the 18th minute. Waterford struggled to adapt to the contest but similar to their semi-final win over Cork, they grew into the game before the break.
They struck six out of the seven points that occurred in the game between the 21st and 32nd minutes. It was their most productive spell of the game with Tadhg De Búrca, Kevin Moran and Maurice Shanahan all excelling.
Tipperary wrestled back control before the interval to move 0-10 to 0-9 ahead at the midway mark but Waterford had plenty to be satisfied about.
Waterford continued to compete strongly in the early second-half exchanges with a Shanahan converted ’65 in the 49th minute leaving them only 0-13 to 0-12 adrift. But a series of wides into the Killinan End cost them dearly as they could not move into a winning position.
Tipperary grew in strength with Cathal Barrett, James Barry and Padraic Maher becoming dominant characters. O’Dwyer finally broke free of the shackles of the Waterford rearguard and the Premier support were enthused by their side’s late passages of play as they claimed a five-point success.
Now it’s an All-Ireland semi-final meeting on 16 August for Tipperary against Cork or Galway while Waterford must prepare for an All-Ireland quarter-final with Dublin on 26 July.
Scorers for Tipperary: Seamus Callanan 0-6 (0-4f, 0-2 ’65), John O’Dwyer 0-5 (0-2f), Niall O’Meara 0-3, Jason Forde, Patrick Maher 0-2 each, Lar Corbett, Michael Breen Shane Bourke 0-1 each.
Scorers for Waterford: Maurice Shanahan 0-8 (0-3f, 0-2 ’65), Austin Gleeson (0-1f), Shane Fives, Kevin Moran 0-2 each, Patrick Curran, Colin Dunford 0-1 each.
Tipperary
1. Darren Gleeson (Portroe)
2. Cathal Barrett (Holycross-Ballycahill)
3. James Barry (Upperchurch Drombane)
4. Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields)
5. Michael Breen (Ballina)
6. Pádraic Maher (Thurles Sarsfields)
7. Kieran Bergin (Killenaule)
8. James Woodlock (Drom & Inch)
9. Shane McGrath (Ballinahinch)
10. Jason Forde (Silvermines)
11. Brendan Maher (Borrisoleigh)
12. Patrick Maher (Lorrha/Dorrha)
13. John O’Dwyer (Killenaule)
14. Seamus Callanan (Drom & Inch)
15. Niall O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs)
Subs
19. Lar Corbett (Thurles Sarsfields) for Breen (half-time)
17. Shane Bourke (JK Brackens) for Forde (65)
22. Conor O’Brien (Éire Óg Annacarty) for McGrath (70)
Waterford
1. Stephen O’Keeffe (Ballygunner)
2. Shane Fives (Tourin)
3. Barry Coughlan (Ballygunner)
4. Noel Connors (Passage)
5. Tadhg de Búrca (Clashmore/Kinsalebeg)
6. Austin Gleeson (Mount Sion)
7. Philip Mahony (Ballygunner)
8. Jamie Barron (Fourmilewater)
20. Eddie Barrett (De La Salle)
14. Michael Walsh (Stradbally)
15. Colin Dunford (Colligan)
10. Kevin Moran (De La Salle)
11. Stephen Bennett (Ballysaggart)
21. Maurice Shanahan (Lismore)
12. Jake Dillon (De La Salle)
Subs
22. Shane Bennett (Ballysaggart) for Barrett (43)
9. Tom Devine (Modeligo) for Stephen Bennett (43)
25. Patrick Curran (Dungarvan) for Dunford (62)
17. Darragh Fives (Tourin) for Dillon (67)
Referee: James Owens (Wexford)
