Tipp already under pressure after Cork defeat

GAA: Munster Senior Hurling Championship Round 1

Tipperary 1-22

Cork 0-29

Report: Shane Brophy at FBD Semple Stadium

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: William Buckley (Cork)

SCORERS – Tipperary: Jason Forde 0-7 frees; Darragh McCarthy 0-4 frees; Alan Tynan 1-0; Jake Morris, Oisin O’Donoghue, Eoghan Connolly (frees) 0-2 each; Willie Connors, Conor Stakelum, John McGrath, Darragh Stakelum, Sam O’Farrell 0-1 each.

Cork: Alan Connolly 0-7 (2 frees); William Buckley 0-6 (1 free); Darragh Fitzgibbon, Shane Barrett, Barry Walsh 0-4 each; Tim O’Mahony 0-2 (1 free); Brian Hayes, Alan Walsh 0-1 each.

Tipperary’s hold of the Liam MacCarthy Cup is already under pressure after Cork stretched their unbeaten championship record at Semple Stadium to five games with a deserved victory in the opening round of the Munster Championship on Sunday.

The final margin of four points was flattering on Tipp as a strong finish which saw a nine point deficit reduced to three late on, helped by an Alan Tynan goal, prevented the score difference from taking a greater hit.

Both teams started with thirteen of their respective sides from the All-Ireland final with Tipp manager Liam Cahill handing first championship starts for under 20 skipper Oisin O’Donoghue and Stefan Tobin while Cork included Tommy O’Connell and under 20 captain Barry Walsh.

Darragh Fitzgibbon opened the scoring inside 33 seconds with the Cork captain a thorn in the Tipperary side in the early going with four points from play inside eleven minutes on the right wing and also shot two wides. It helped Cork into a 0-6 to 0-3 lead with Shane Barrett and William Buckley also on target.

Tipp kept in touch with points from Eoghan Connolly (free), Jake Morris and Oisin O’Donoghue before they began enjoying success in forcing Cork into passing errors which lead to points from Jason Forde (free), Morris, John McGrath, and a first lead through a second Forde free on seventeen minutes. Points from Willie Connors and Forde extended it to three before Alan Connolly and Conor Stakelum exchanged points.

The flow changed in the 23rd minute when Tipperary manager Liam Cahill was booked for dissent and a difficult enough free was moved to the 21 yard line for Alan Connolly to slot over.

Despite Jason Forde adding a fourth free, Cork were getting into a flow again with Barrett, Buckley, and Barry Walsh brining them level on 29 minutes. Twice more Tipp nudged in front through Forde (free) and O’Donoghue but were cancelled out by Walsh and Buckley to see the sides go in level at 0-13 each at the break.

The trend of the game didn’t change much early in the second half with the sides sharing the first six points, with Tipp’s three coming from placed balls from Connolly and Forde (2).

However, they were struggling to win primary possession in all areas of the field and it began to take its toll as the Cork half-back line took control as they went onto score seven points without reply up to the 54th minute with Brian Hayes, Buckley (2), O’Mahony (free), Walsh, and three Alan Connolly frees before sub Darragh McCarthy ended a fourteen minute scoreless run with a free.

The Toomevara clubman finished with four points, all from frees, with the only scores managed from play in the second half being points from subs Sam O’Farrell and Darragh Stakelum before Alan Tynan struck a goal in the first minute of four of added time and suddenly the margin was down to four, and then three going into the dying seconds.

However, as they did throughout the second half, Cork conjured up a score when they needed it with man of the match William Buckley slotting over the final point from a free as the defending Munster champions made the perfect start.

TEAMS – Tipperary: Rhys Shelly (Moycarkey/Borris); Michael Breen (Ballina), Robert Doyle (Clonoulty/Rossmore), Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields, Capt); Craig Morgan (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Eoghan Connolly (Cashel King Cormacs), Bryan O’Mara (Holycross/Ballycahill); Willie Connors (Kiladangan), Conor Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields); Oisin O’Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs), Andrew Ormond (JK Brackens), Jake Morris (Nenagh Eire Og); Jason Forde (Silvermines), John McGrath (Loughmore/Castleiney), Stefan Tobin (Carrick Swan).

Subs: Darragh McCarthy (Toomevara) for Tobin (HT); Noel McGrath (Loughmore/Castleiney) for McGrath (41); Alan Tynan (Roscrea) for Stakelum (46); Darragh Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields) for Forde (54); Sam O’Farrell (Nenagh Eire Og) for Connors (58).

Cork: Patrick Collins; Niall O’Leary, Ciaran Joyce, Sean O’Donoghue; Mark Coleman, Robert Downey, Eoin Downey; Tim O’Mahony, Tommy O’Connell; Barry Walsh, Shane Barrett, Darragh Fitzgibbon; Brian Hayes, Alan Connolly, William Buckley.

Subs: Diarmuid Healy for O’Connell (59); Alan Walsh for Hayes (61); Hugh O’Connor for O’Mahony (68); Seamus Harnedy for Walsh (70+1); Padraig Power for Connolly (70+2).

Referee: Sean Stack (Dublin).

Attendance: 44,348.