Tipperary manager Liam Cahill says on-form players will face Galway

Tipperary 0-24 Dublin 2-21

Tipperary senior hurling manager Liam Cahill expressed himself satisfied after his side’s three points defeat to a hugely competitive Dublin side in a challenge match on the grass pitch at Fethard Town Park on Saturday.

Coming a week before the start of the National Hurling League campaign, with a difficult away assignment against Galway in Pearse Stadium next Sunday, it was the latest in a series of challenge matches for Tipp ahead of the league.

With a good attendance at the Fethard venue to see how Tipp are shaping up for the new season, the side soon realised that the Dubs were a much more potent challenge than Laois, who they had defeated by a large score the previous week.

Tipperary never led, conceded two goals and scored none, and had an extra man for the last fifteen minutes when Dublin’s Conor Donohue was shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball blow to Craig Morgan.

The game was a challenge, but not really a friendly in nature, as a number of players became involved in a row before Donohue’s dismissal by Clare referee John Bugler for his below-the-belt strike.

Despite the result, Liam Cahill said he was delighted with the display.

“It was really intense for a challenge game, with the intensity and physicality really up there, but it was a great workout for us leading into the Galway game in Pearse Stadium,” he said.

The Tipperary manager added – “Dublin are always physical, and the physicality that they have this time of the year is a big part of their game, because that ball isn’t moving as fast as it might be later on in the summer.

“We struggled with their physicality and their intensity, and I have no problems in saying that. They look like a team that have a lot of work done, they’re very fit and they will be a fair side in Leinster as well when the time comes”.

Reflecting on his own team, he said they had done a lot of work in the previous few weeks but had problems with the weather, the availability of pitches and having matches postponed. But he said it was brilliant to get the game against Dublin.

Asked where it left the side ahead of the Galway game, he replied – “Where does it leave us? It leaves us having to improve. We have a lot of areas to work on, definitely around our decision-making. We created three or four good goal chances and didn’t take them.

“A couple of little schoolboy errors come at this time of the year when the lads are in a heavy block of training. We will correct those things over the next week and get as strong a 26-man panel as we can and try to get a result in Pearse Stadium, which is going to be very difficult.

“Those playing in Pearse Stadium will be players who are fit first, and picked on form. The window over the last three or four matches was small for some players. It will evolve over the course of the league because it will have to.

“It is an exceptionally competitive league and we don’t know what it will throw up, but there are a lot of tough challenges away, as well as big games to play in Thurles. Against Galway we will play the players in form and work on it from there”.

That form that Cahill is looking for was evident in many of his starting fifteen and the subs introduced. Kiladangan’s Willie Connors was the outstanding player in the first half, dominant in midfield, scoring two points and involved in many other scores.

In attack, Gearoid O’Connor and Andrew Ormond looked very sharp, while Toomevara sharpshooter Darragh McCarthy was in top form, hitting nine points from placed balls and two from play. Second half subs Darragh Stakelum and Michael Breen were both on the scoresheet when introduced.

A concern for Cahill will be the number of balls dropped short into the hands of Dublin goalkeeper Eddie Gibbons, as well as the side’s inability to get through for goal. They had their chances, including one for Darragh Stakelum early in the second half, but in fairness the Dublin defence put in an immense shift to curtail the Tipperary threat, with John Bellew, Paddy Dunleavy and Chris Crummy in fine form.

The Dublin attack was equally as potent, especially in the first half, when with the aid of a stiff breeze they took the game to Tipperary with strong running. Conor Burke, Conor Donohue and Cian O’Sullivan were the main threats, with a fourth minute goal from Dara Purcell putting the side 1-1 to 0-1 ahead, and they were never headed again.

That Dublin assault tested the Tipperary rearguard, but they stood up to the challenge against a very physical visiting forward line. Rhys Shelly might have expected to save Purcell’s shot – he was beaten again late in the game when left exposed by his defence for sub Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing to score the side’s second goal – but otherwise he was solid throughout.

Michael Corcoran, Eoghan Connolly and Bryan O’Mara did well in the full back line, with Cashel’s Connolly hitting a monster point from deep in his own half late in the first half. Team captain Ronan Maher, flanked by Sam O’Farrell and Craig Morgan, did well in the half back line, with O’Farrell and Morgan getting on the scoresheet.

Dublin’s bright start saw then lead by four points, 1-6 to 0-5, midway through the first half, with the Tipp scores coming from Gearoid O’Connor, Willie Connors, Jake Morris and two from Darragh McCarthy, one a free.

By the 25th minute it was 1-9 to 0-9, with Conor Martin on target after great work from Bryan O’Mara and Alan Tynan, and then Andrew Ormond hit a brace inside a minute. At the other end Cian O’Sullivan and Conor Burke were doing most of the damage for the Leinster side.

Dublin extended the lead to five points, 1-15 to 0-13, by half-time as they upped the tempo again, with a major input from Chris Crummey – Tipp’s scores came from Eoghan Connolly, Gearoid O’Connor and two from Darragh McCarthy, one a free.

Tipp introduced Darragh Stakelum for Conor Bowe at half-time, with Michael Breen, Jason Forde and Robert Doyle also making an appearance in the second half. A McCarthy free in the first minute reduced the margin to four points but the pattern of the game remained the same, with Dublin holding on to a three or four-point lead.

McCarthy scored seven points from placed balls in the second half, with the only points from play from Nenagh’s Sam O’Farrell, a great score from an acute angle; Darragh Stakelum, Michael Breen and Willie Connors.

Breen’s point in the 69th minute brought it back to a one score game, 1-21 to 0-21, with the crowd urging Tipp towards a grandstand finish. But instead it was Dublin who got the crucial second goal. With the Tipp defence exposed, substitute Diarmaid Ó Dulaing beating Rhys Shelly from a tight angle to make it a six-points game.

Tipp had the last three scores in injury time from Willie Connors and a McCarthy free, followed by a McCarthy 65 after a Jake Morris goalbound shot was deflected by the Dubs defence. However, time ran out before they could salvage a draw in a highly competitive clash.

Tipperary: Rhys Shelly (Moycarkey-Borris), Michael Corcoran (Silvermines), Eoghan Connolly (Cashel King Cormacs) 0-1; Bryan O’Mara (Holycross/Ballycahill), Sam O’Farrell (Nenagh Eire Og) 0-1; Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), Craig Morgan (Kilruane McDonaghs) 0-1; Willie Connors (Kiladangan) 0-2; Alan Tynan (Roscrea), Jake Morris (Nenagh Eire Og) 0-1; Conor Martin (Cappawhite) 0-1; Gearoid O’Connor (Moyne/Templetuohy) 0-2; Andrew Ormond (JK Brackens) 0-2; Conor Bowe (Moyne/Templetuohy), Darragh McCarthy (Toomevara) 0-11, 8 frees, 1 ‘65.

Subs: Darragh Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields) 0-1 for Conor Bowe, Jason Forde (Silvermines) for Andrew Ormond, Michael Breen (Ballina) 0-1 for Alan Tynan, Robert Doyle (Clonoulty/Rossmore) for Craig Morgan.

Dublin: Eddie Gibbons, John Bellew, Paddy Dunleavy, Ian Ó hEithir, Sean Gallagher, Chris Crummey 0-2; Derek Gray, Brian Hayes, Conor Burke 0-3; Conor Donohoe 0-2; Fergal Whitley 0-2; Cian O’Sullivan 0-7, 3 frees; Darragh Power 0-1; John Hetherton 0-1; Dara Purcell 1-0.

Subs: Diarmaid Ó Dulaing 1-2, 2 frees; Conal Ó Riain 0-1.

Referee: John Bugler (Clare).

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