Tipp hold off Kilkenny rally
GAA: Allianz National Hurling League Division 1B Round 2
Kilkenny 1-21
Tipperary2-24
Report: Shane Brophy at UPMC Nowlan Park
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Jason Forde (Tipperary)
SCORERS – Kilkenny: Billy Drennan 0-10 (7 frees, 1 65); Martin Keoghan 1-2; John Donnelly 0-4; Padraig Walsh, Walter Walsh, Billy Ryan, Shane Walsh, Conor Fogarty 0-1 each.
Tipperary: Jason Forde 1-15 (0-7 frees, 0-2 65s); Jake Morris 1-2; Conor Bowe, Noel McGrath 0-2 each; Alan Tynan, John Campion, Mark Kehoe 0-1 each.
Tipperary recorded a first league victory in Nowlan Park since 2008 as they held off a second half fightback from the home side to claim a six point win to maintain their perfect start to the National Hurling League on Sunday.
Jason Forde top-scored with 1-15 as Tipp laid the platform for the victory in the first half when they went in at the break 2-13 to 0-7 in front.
Tipperary lived dangerously in the early going with Barry Hogan denying Walter Walsh a second minute goal but the Kilkenny man did point from the rebound.
Jason Forde got Tipp’s first two scores but the visitors suffered a double injury blow with Paddy Cadell (leg) and Cathal Barrett (head) forced off inside eleven minutes.
Jake Morris became the first Tipp player other than Forde to score on seventeen minutes as Tipp began to take control with the impressive Noel McGrath and Conor Bowe stretching the lead to four before Jason Forde goaled on 27 minutes after being played in by Seamus Callanan.
Jake Morris was denied by Kilkenny keeper Aidan Tallis but he could do little to deny Morris in injury time, after he made a superb save from Conor Bowe as Tipp led by twelve at the break.
Kilkenny were always going to show more after the break and quickly ate into the lead with sub John Donnelly bagging his third after coming on and also forced a great save out of Barry Hogan in the 54th minute when the home side were building momentum.
Tipp added ten second half points, seven from Forde with Noel McGrath, the impressive Conor Bowe and sub Mark Kehoe also on the scoresheet as Tipp weathered a late Kilkenny rally, helped by a Martin Keoghan goal on 58 minutes.
It’s two wins from two from Tipp who next head to Croke Park to take on Dublin on Saturday week.
Full report and analysis in this Wednesday's Nenagh Guardian
TEAMS – Kilkenny: Aidan Tallis; Mikey Butler, Huw Lawlor, Conor Heary; Cillian Buckley, Padraig Walsh, Darragh Corcoran; Paddy Deegan, Killian Doyle; Martin Keoghan, Cian Kenny, Billy Ryan; Billy Drennan, Walter Walsh, Shane Walsh.
Subs: John Donnelly for Kenny (24); David Blanchfield for Doyle (HT); Conor Fogarty for Heary (HT); Alan Murphy for Butler (40); Gearoid Dunne for Murphy (62).
Tipperary: Barry Hogan; Cathal Barrett, Michael Breen, Johnny Ryan; Enda Heffernan, Pauric Campion, Ronan Maher; Paddy Cadell, Dan McCormack; Alan Tynan, Noel McGrath, Jake Morris; Jason Forde, Conor Bowe, Seamus Callanan.
Subs: John Campion for Cadell (4 inj); Eoghan Connolly for Barrett (11 inj); Seamus Kennedy for J Campion (blood 34-37); Mark Kehoe for Callanan (53); Bryan O’Mara for P Campion (54); Seamus Kennedy for Tynan (blood 56-58); Seamus Kennedy for J Campion (61); Sean Ryan for Morris (67).
Referee: Patrick Murphy (Carlow)
Attendance: 10,458