Tipp staring at early exit after defeat to Clare

GAA: Munster Senior Hurling Championship Round 4

Tipperary 0-17

Clare 1-25

Report: Shane Brophy at FBD Semple Stadium

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: John Conlon (Clare)

SCORERS – Tipperary: Jake Morris 0-4; Darragh McCarthy (frees), Jason Forde (1 s-cut), Eoghan Connolly (2 frees) 0-3 each; Willie Connor, Alan Tynan, Stefan Tobin, Conor Stakelum 0-1 each.

Clare: Diarmuid Stritch, Tony Kelly (5 frees) 0-6 each; Ian Galvin 1-2; Sean Rynne, Peter Duggan (2 s-cuts, 1 free) 0-4 each; Cathal Malone 0-2; Niall O’Farrell 0-1.

Tipperary’s All-Ireland title is hanging by a thread as they were soundly beaten by Clare for the fourth time in a row in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship at FBD Semple Stadium on Saturday evening.

Bar the first fifteen minutes which were even enough, Clare pulled away and could afford to shoot sixteen wides with Tipp a beaten side long before they were reduced to fourteen men on 51 minutes when Willie Connors was dismissed for a second bookable offence.

Tipperary manager Liam Cahill made two changes to the starting line-up that drew with Waterford with recalls for Craig Morgan in defence and Jason Forde in attack with Seamus Kennedy and Sam O’Farrell dropping to the bench.

Clare also made alterations with the experienced John Conlon and David McInerney coming in at the heart of the defence while Diarmuid Stritch was given his first start in attack.

The game started at a ferocious intensity with Sean Rynne pointing for Clare within seconds, responded to by a Jason Forde sideline cut. Cathal Malone, at wing forward, edged Clare ahead before Forde landed a classy point from play.

Tony Kelly fired Clare back into the lead after Willie Connors was booked for a strong challenge on Mark Rodgers. The challenges came in from Clare too with Peter Duggan and Sean Rynne also booked with Tipp levelling with a Jake Morris point.

Tony Kelly responded for Clare before Tipp’s midfield duo of Alan Tynan and Willie Connors nudged them into their first lead on sixteen minutes.

However, the rest of the half was all Clare as they outscored Tipp 0-10 to 0-3 and also shot nine wides, Tipp struggling to get their hands on the ball. Tony Kelly was to the fore in a creative sense setting up Diarmuid Stritch for three points in as many minutes before Rynne got his second.

Sub Ian Galvin made an immediate impact before Cathal Malone pushed the visitors six clear before Jason Forde ended a sixteen minute scoreless spell for Tipp. Clare responded with Ryan Taylor, Stritch and Rynne but two late frees from Darragh McCarthy gave Tipp some hope for the second half with the elements to come, trailing 0-8 to 0-14.

Tipp needed a strong start to the second half to ignite themselves and the home crowd but with 47 seconds they had conceded a goal with Ian Galvin goaling from close range.

Points from Darragh McCarthy free and Jake Morris were a good response but Tipp never threatened a barrage of scores to put Clare under pressure.

The best change of a goal came on 41 minutes when a snapshot from John McGrath was brilliantly saved by Eibhear Quilligan as Clare kept the scoreboard ticking over through Stritch, Rynne, Niall O’Farrell and a Peter Duggan sideline cut to go eleven clear on 48 minutes.

Points from Morris and Eoghan Connolly had the potential to kick-start something for Tipp but that evaporated when Willie Connors was sent off for a second bookable offence.

After that, Clare were able to sit back with the outstanding John Conlon marshalling the defence superbly to prevent Tipp getting goals they needed with Conor Stakelum and Stefan Tobin getting their names on the scoresheet.

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

Subs: Darragh Stakelum (Cashel King Cormacs) for Ormond (HT); Conor Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields) for Breen (42); Sam O’Farrell (Nenagh Eire Og) for Tynan (48); Stefan Tobin (Carrick Swan) for McCarthy (51); Noel McGrath (Loughmore/Castleiney) for Forde (57); Keith Ryan (Upperchurch/Drombane) for O’Donoghue (67-FT blood)

Clare: Eibhear Quilligan; Darragh Lohan, David McInerney, Adam Hogan; Diarmuid Ryan, John Conlon, Niall O’Farrell; Diarmuid Stritch, Ryan Taylor; Cathal Malone, Tony Kelly, Sean Rynne; Peter Duggan, Shane O’Donnell, Mark Rodgers.

Subs: David Fitzgerald for Rodgers (HIA 8-13); Ian Galvin for Rodgers (25 inj); David Reidy for Taylor (45); David Fitzgerald for Kelly (57); Conor Cleary for Rynne (62)’ Shane Meehan for O’Donnell (66).

Referee: Thomas Walsh (Waterford).

Attendance: 32,327.