Tipp given a harsh lesson by Cork in Minor Football quarter final
GAA: Electric Ireland Munster Minor Football Championship Quarter Final
Tipperary 1-8
Cork 3-21
It was a throw-back to the bad old days of Tipperary football last Wednesday as the minor footballers were brushed aside by Cork in the first round of the Munster Championship.
The days of nineteen point humblings we thought were in the past but right from the off Tipperary played second fiddle to a much sharper and physically stronger Cork side and have a lot of improving to do if they are to have a say in the remainder of the championship.
Matt O'Doherty and his selectors Michael Power, Mick O'Sullivan, Johnny Nevin and Donal Hayes have an awful lot of work to do to improve this side who looked a long way of being a competitive inter-county side. There was no doubting the level of effort put in by all twenty players who got gametime but the performance lacked coherence for the large part.
It didn't help that Cork were utterly dominant at midfield which forced Tipperary to go short with their kickouts to try and guarantee possession, plus on least three occasions, Jack Dolan's kickouts went straight out of play.
When Tipperary did attack, they produced some decent moments with Ryan Lambe to the fore at full forward while Adam McGrath was lively off the bench. Joint-captain Jake Flannery also caught the eye at both midfield and full back (in the second half) and he looks a prospect going forward to senior level.
But for the immediate future, there will have to be a lot soul-searching from the players in the next week as they get ready to face Clare or Waterford, and whether they have the desire to turn things around.
That being said, this was an excellent Cork side who look like they will have a major say in both the Munster and All Ireland Championships with a physically strong side and with a full forward line who scored 3-13 between them, with Damien Gore causing Tipperary major stress for the second year in a row.
Tipperary were under pressure from the off, with indiscipline leading to Cork's first four points coming from frees before the rebels scored their first goal in the 17th minute when Gore made the burst before playing in Mark Cronin for an easy finish.
Ryan Lambe (2), Shane Ryan (free) and Conall Kennedy kicked good points for Tipp but Cork were always a threat in possession and eased to a 1-9 to 0-4 lead at the break, having played against the breeze.
The damage had been done and by the 44th minute, Tipp fell 3-14 to 0-6 behind with Cronin getting his second goal before Damien Gore got his deserved three-pointer, however both goals came from Tipperary giving the ball away sloppily in their own defence.
With the game over as a contest, both sides emptied their benches in the final quarter, including Adam McGrath who scored a fine goal for Tipp in the 51st minute while sub Cillian Myles-Murray came close to another Cork goal.
Tipperary ended the game with fourteen men with Shane Ryan picking up a black card in injury time, by which time all six substitutes had been used.
Hopefully defeats like this are just a rare occurrance!
MATCH DIGEST
Man of the Match: Damien Gore (Cork)
Scorers – Tipperary: Ryan Lambe 0-3; Adam McGrath 1-0; Shane Ryan 0-2 frees; Conall Kennedy, Mark Stokes, Riain Quigley 0-1 each.
Cork: Mark Cronin 2-4 (0-2 frees); Damien Gore 1-5 (0-3 frees); Cathail O'Mahony 0-4 (2 frees); Colm O'Callaghan 0-3; Dylan Ward, Jack McCarthy, Evan Murphy, Colm Barrett, Cillian Myles-Murray 0-1 each.
Tipperary: Jack Dolan (Fethard); Jack Harney (Moyle Rovers, J-Capt), Stephen Grogan (Cahir), John Ryan (Boherlahan-Dualla); Riain Quigley (Moyle Rovers), Paul Devlin (Eire Og Annacarty), Eanna McBride (JK Brackens); Jake Flannery (Galtee Rovers, J-Capt), Conall Kennedy (Clonmel Commercials); Diarmuid Mulcahy (Moyle Rovers), Shane Ryan (Galtee Rovers), Calvin Boland (Clonmel Commercials); Mark Stokes (Kilsheelan/Kilcash), Ryan Lambe (Clonmel Commercials), Darragh Tynan (Inane Rovers).
Subs: Darragh Bolger (Moyle Rovers) for Boland (HT); Cian O'Sullivan (Clonmel Og) for Tynan (38); Adam McGrath (Galtee Rovers) for McBride (38); Darragh O'Leary (Ardfinnan) for Devlin (47); Cavan McKenna (Cahir) for Ryan (49); Liam Cleary (Borrisokane) for Harney (52).
Cork: Kevin McMahon; Lorcan Finn, William Ronan, Dylan Ward; Jason Harrington, Peter O'Driscoll, Jack McCarthy; Ryan Walsh, Mark Keane; Jack Murphy, Evan Murphy, Colm O'Callaghan (Capt); Mark Cronin, Cathail O'Mahony, Damien Gore .
Subs: Sean Meehan for Harrington (16-24 blood, 42); Colm Barrett for J Murphy (38); Cillian Myles-Murray for O'Mahony (41); Daniel O'Mahony for Ronan (45); John Corcoran for Finn (45); Dara Moynihan for E Murphy (50).
Referee: Richard Moloney (Limerick).