Captain Freaney inspires Tipp to bounce back win over Limerick
GAA: Dalata Hotel Group Munster Under 20 Football Championship Phase 1 Round 2
Tipperary 3-4-5 (22)
Limerick 2-1-7 (15)
Report: Stephen Barry in New Inn
Photos: Michael Boland
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Liam Freaney (Tipperary)
SCORERS – Tipperary: Liam Freaney 2-4 (1x2free, 0-1 free); Charlie Walsh 1-4 (1x2play, 1x2free); Dylan Cotter, James Power (2play) 0-2 each; Mark Neville 0-1 pen.
Limerick: Andrew Lyons 0-7 (1x2free, 3 frees); Aidan O’Shea 2-0; Conor Ó Longaigh, Cian Costelloe 0-1 each.
Tipperary staged a 13-point second-half turnaround against Limerick to reawaken their Munster U20 Football Championship ambitions on Saturday.
Two goals from the Treaty’s appropriately named targetman, Aidan O’Shea, pushed them into a 2-6 to 1-3 half-time lead.
Liam Freaney played a captain’s role in the comeback, finishing with 2-4, creating the other goal, and winning a penalty. He was ably assisted by Charlie Walsh, whose 1-4 included two orange flags. In total, they won the second half by 2-10 to 0-3.
Following defeat in Clare, manager Paddy O’Gorman opted for some surgery through the spine of his side. Emmet Bonner was introduced at centre-back, with Danny Morris switched to full-back. Liam Freaney and Shane Ryan were relocated to centre and full-forward, while John Cronin and Walsh came in on the left flank of the attack. Cillian Ryan, Dylan Cotter, and James Power dropped to the bench.
The hosts got off to a dream start. They pressed up on a Limerick sideline kick with Oran Gahan mopping up a loose pass. Fethard brothers Gavin & Mark Neville transferred the ball to Freaney, who surged through the heart of the Limerick defence. His shot was saved by Cian Purcell, but Walsh was on alert to poke home the rebound inside sixty seconds.
Cian Costelloe curled over an immediate white-flag response, but when Freaney won and converted a two-point free into the wind, Tipp led 1-2 to 0-1.
However, Limerick overwhelmed them to the tune of 2-5 to 0-1 from there to the break. It began with O’Shea collecting his own ricocheted pass and laying off for an Andrew Lyons goal chance. The corner-forward lofted over the gaping net.
From there on, moving midfielder O’Shea onto the edge of the square destabilised the home defence. He snatched Liam Glynn’s long ball to steer home a low strike on the quarter-hour.
They had a third successive goal opportunity through Conor Ó Longaigh, who fizzed over the crossbar. O’Shea was the target again for a Lyons point. O’Shea then forced Bonner to overcarry from a short kick-out. Lyons added Limerick’s sole orange flag from the resulting free to complete a 1-5 streak.
Seán Griffin lifted the siege by winning the next kick-out and a free, which Freaney converted.
But Samuel Colgan picked off a loose Tipp pass and Pádraic Phelan launched a long delivery for O’Shea. He controlled the ball smartly to lash his second goal to the net for a six-point interval lead; 2-6 to 1-3.
Tipp called upon Dylan Cotter at half-time. He would make a big impact at midfield, while Griffin switched to full-back. It was a Griffin intercept which ultimately led to the opening score of the half as Charlie Walsh nailed a patiently worked two-pointer.
Limerick were entirely reliant on Andrew Lyons’ frees for their three second-half points, beginning with an off-the-turf effort from just inside the arc. Seconds later, Cotter was twice involved in a sharp kick-out move to lay on a Freaney point.
Limerick’s discipline began to falter as they coughed up a pair of 50-metre advancements, which went unpunished, before conceding a penalty. Charlie Walsh appeared to have a claim for a foul in the square before his shot was blocked by Cian O’Sullivan. Liam Kiely played on and found Freaney, who was pulled back by Colgan. When Shane Ryan’s shot was deflected away by Owen Dee, James Regan called play back for the spot-kick which Mark Neville scooped over the bar.
When Lyons arrowed over another free, Limerick still led by four at the three-quarter mark; 2-8 to 1-7.
It was then that Liam Freaney turned the contest by drilling two goals in the space of three minutes. Dylan Cotter claimed the kick-outs for both.
For the first, in 46th minute, Peter Boland’s restart floated over the aerial contest and found Cotter on the run. The Thurles Gaels talent picked out Freaney, who slid the ball low through the New Inn net.
And after Fintan McNamara couldn’t grasp a goal chance at one end, Cotter caught an opposition kick-out and booted it into the inside line. Shane Ryan caught the pass and laid off for Walsh. He squared for Freaney to unveil a classy sidestep finish for a 3-7 to 2-8 lead.
Tipp extended that burst into 2-5 without reply, thanks to a pair of orange flags from a Walsh free, won by Griffin, and Power. In between, Cotter split the posts.
After Lyons landed his seventh point, Cotter rounded out the scoring.
TEAMS – Tipperary: Peter Boland (Moyle Rovers); Jack McGonigle (Rockwell Rovers), Danny Morris (Clonmel Commercials), Jack Kearney (Ballyporeen); Gavin Neville (Fethard), Emmet Bonner (Galtee Rovers), Jamie O’Keeffe (Clonmel Commercials); Oran Gahan (St Patrick’s), Seán Griffin (Upperchurch/Drombane); Liam Kiely (Fethard), Liam Freaney (Kilsheelan/Kilcash, Capt), John Cronin (Moyle Rovers); Mark Neville (Fethard), Shane Ryan (Ardfinnan), Charlie Walsh (Fethard).
Subs: Dylan Cotter (Thurles Gaels) for Morris (HT); Philip O’Dwyer (Upperchurch/Drombane) for M Neville (42); Killian Smith (Clonmel Commercials) for Kiely (42); James Power (Clonmel Commercials) for Cronin (42); Ciarán Kelly (Arravale Rovers) for Ryan (56).
Limerick: Cian Purcell; Cian O’Sullivan, Owen Dee, Danny McCarthy; Samuel Colgan, Conor Mangan, Cillian Meade; Aidan O’Shea, Evan Curry; Conor Ó Longaigh, Liam Glynn, Cian Costelloe; Pádraic Phelan (Capt), Andrew Lyons, Shane O’Grady.
Subs: Fintan McNamara for O’Grady (5-7 blood); Fintan McNamara for O’Grady (HT); Michael Mulcahy for Meade (42); Barry Griffin for Costelloe (52); Paudie Hennessy for Colgan (52); Seán Holland for Glynn (60).
Referee: James Regan (Cork).